When Borders Collide
by Shadowsheikah308
Summary: What comes after you've vanquished the age old foe? A new one apparently. Just as Link thought he was done with world saving, a dragon attack on Hyrule's borders sets him off on another long trek. Thankfully this time he's got the Resistance and a few new tag alongs with him to keep things a bit more interesting.
1. I need a job

**Chapter 1**

A warm afternoon sun lay low in the sky. It's light painted Hyrule field a glowing orange, the trees rustling slightly from a passing breeze. Upon a hill a green clad hero sat gazing out over the land before him.

He sighed, his mind restless with unmade decisions. It had been over three months since he and his counterpart Midna had rid the kingdom of its twilight invasion at the hands of Ganondorf. Since then the time had passed in a blur of cleaning, repairing, and rebuilding alongside celebrations commemorating the victory. His gaze shifted towards Hyrule Castle. The once ruins stood proud again, the throne again occupied by princess Zelda much to everyone's delight.

Among all this joy however, Link still found himself somewhat at a loss. With everything returning to the way it was Link was without a job. He could go back to herding goats but he knew he wouldn't last long at it. He needed something to keep himself busy while still being useful.

The thought of joining the royal guard had crossed his mind for a total of five second but was quickly discarded, the guards were well known for their incompetence and Link did not trust his patience enough to be surrounded by that everyday. He got to his feet and mounted his horse Epona. He had received a letter from Telma earlier telling him to come to her bar.

As Link rode toward the town he wondered what on earth Telma would tell him that she couldn't tell him through her letter. But Telma was well known for coming up with any excuse to get people to come to her bar.

Epona slowed as they reached the bridge; after Link got down she started to walk over to the grass to graze. Link straightened himself out and walked through the double doors.

Finding his way to the bar was no trouble for him since he had been there so many times before. He walked through the busy streets then down the dark side-road into the bar and found that there was only Telma standing behind the bar polishing a glass. As he paused in the doorway he looked down to see Telma's cat Louise brushing up against his leg. Pausing, he bent down to stroke her in way of greeting. Louise purred, looked up at him and meowed.

"It's funny, Louise isn't usually so friendly with people, but she almost seems to have some sort of hidden connection to you dear." Telma called from behind the bar. Link looked up at her with a small smile.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here," She said after a few moments. "Course I know you've been busy Hon, but would it hurt you to drop in every once and awhile?"

Link seated himself on one of the bar stools and looked up at Telma, her face had an almost childish pout to it, but at the same time it was clear to Link that she was quite disappointed that he hadn't come to visit her. Link flashed a nervous smile and mumbled some kind of excuse, hoping it would appease her.

"Well anyway that doesn't matter now, you're here. And not a minute too soon Hon, _they_ should be arriving any time now." she said with a meaningful glance at the door.

As if on cue the Resistance burst through the door, Ashei led the group into the bar with her usual feisty look on her face. Following not far behind her was Auru; he was the first to notice Link lounging at the bar. He nodded a quick greeting to Link and continued past to the table that was situated at the back of the room. Shad came in last with his face in a book. It always amazed Link that he could navigate his way around without ever having to look up from his book. A few moments after Shad and Aura had settled themselves at the table and Ashei leaned back against the wall Telma spoke up.

"Well now that we're all here I suppose I should get on with the reason I called you here. Link; we've all been talking and we want to make you an offer. We want you to be a permanent member of the Resistance. What do ya say?"

Link was a bit taken aback at first but quickly regained his composure. He looked from one face to the next; even Shad had looked up from his book and was gazing intently at him.

"It's your choice yeah? We don't want to force you into anything." Ashei said from across the room.

Next it was Auru who said: "We just figured; now with the majority of the chaos gone, you would need something to fill your time."

"Plus, with Rusl having gone back home, we're a short a member" Telma put in from behind him.

Link paused to think, this was exactly the solution to his problem; it's true he would need something to keep him busy now, and it was head and shoulders above herding goats or working with the guards. Link paused for a few more seconds before turning back to the group and nodding.

"Wonderful! I'm glad that you came to see the light dear." Telma teased with a wink. The rest of the group came over and shook his hand in turn.

"Happy that you could join us Link" Auru said.

"Just make sure you don't slow us down yeah?" Ashei added with a smirk.

Link smiled back at her before looking up to see Shad rummaging around in his bag. Curious he walked over to see if he had lost something. Before Link could walk more than a few steps Shad stood up with a triumphant look on his face and said

"A-ha! There it is! I was worried I had lost it." Shad turned to Link and smiled "I had wanted to give you this before," he said "but there just never seemed to be the time."

Link simply smiled and waited for an explanation.

"This is to thank you for helping me with all those discoveries related to the Oocca" Shad held out a strange device to Link. Link stared at the object with absolute fascination. It looked almost like a bracelet but it was covered in oddly shaped jewels and what looked like some sort of ancient writing.

"It creates a magic barrier." Shad said after a moment. "If you attach it to your wrist a force field will surround your body and deflect any small projectiles that are thrown at you... But it only lasts for a short amount of time."

Link took it into his hands and the object began to float while that strange little melody that always played when he got a new object rang in his ears. The object then fell back into his hands and he carefully placed it into his pouch. He turned his attention back to Shad and with a nod he thanked him for his gift. Shad looked a bit shy as he muttered a reply. Just then Ashei punched Shad in the shoulder and said with a grin:

"Hey! How come he gets cool gifts like that? What about the rest of us?"

"A-Ashei! I-I- I didn't think of it! I'm -I'm sorry I'll get you something next time ok?" Shad stuttered.

The teasing then quickly escalated until Telma told them to knock it off. After everyone had calmed down and had re-situated themselves at the table Telma announced that tonight everything was on the house and that they should celebrate the joining of a new member. This was met by hearty agreements from all. After about midnight when everyone had had their fill of festivities they quietly excused themselves and left for their respective houses. Link had stayed by the request of Telma who had told him that she wouldn't hear of him returning to Ordon this late in the night. She forced him to stay in one of the spare bedrooms upstairs where Link promptly fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	2. How soon can you leave?

Chapter 2

Early the next morning Link descended the stairs to the lower part of the bar only to see Telma already up and preparing for the day.

'Does she never sleep?' Link wondered to himself.

"Oh hi hon, did you sleep well?" Telma asked as he got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, thank you." he replied.

"I'm glad. I don't often have people stay here so I'm not sure how comfortable those beds are." she said "Now onto more important business, what would you like for breakfast dear?"

Link smiled. "Thanks for the offer but I really need to be heading to Ordon if I want to make it there before noon." He replied

Telma looked somewhat disappointed but just said "Alright hon, if that's what you have your heart set on then I won't stop you, but don't forget your first meeting with the Resistance is in two days and you'd better not be late!"

Link thanked her and promised that he would be at the meeting on time. After stroking Louise one last time he walked out into the busy streets of the town. He paused to look around and noticed that it was later then he had originally predicted. As he walked past all the shops and cafes the smells of food made his stomach start to complain rather loudly so he decided to grab some food for the ride. Link's idea was that he would return to Ordon to collect some of his things and to check up on everyone before returning for the meeting. As he walked across the bridge that lead back out to Hyrule field he suddenly heard someone calling to him from behind "MR. LINK! WAIT!"

Link turned to see that it was the mailman running frantically to catch up to him. Link stopped and waited until the mailman got close enough to deliver his message.

"Good morning Mr. Link, I have a letter for you" Then he made an odd little fanfare noise that he always did when delivering a letter. After a laugh of triumph he said: "Well, my business is concluded. Onward mail!"

Then he quickly ran away making strange little grunting sounds as he went. Link watched him go for a while before looking at the letter. The letter was stamped with the official seal of princess Zelda. Link quickly opened it to see what it said, his curiosity burning.

The letter read:

 _Dear Link,_

 _I'm sorry to bother you so soon after all the work that you have done but I need to speak with you of a matter of utmost urgency. Please come to the castle at your earliest convenience._

 _Zelda_

Link stared at the writing for a few more seconds then put the letter in his sack. 'I guess that changes my plans.' Link thought. He turned and started walking back into the town. He fleetingly wondered if the guards would let him into the castle but, he was confident that he would be able to find another way in if necessary. As it turned out the guards at the gate let him through with no trouble, it was the guards at the throne room that were less accommodating.

"Halt! State your business!" the first guard yelled at Link as he neared the doors to the throne room.

"Zelda summoned me" Link replied without stopping.

"Hey! You can't go in there!" the second guard said as he quickly situated his spear between Link and the door. Link stopped and turned his gaze to look into the eyes of guard. He held the gaze just long enough for the guard to start second guessing himself before backing up and putting his hands up to show he meant no harm. The guards glanced uneasily at each other before sending a messenger to find out if princess Zelda was, in fact, expecting a visitor.

The messenger returned within a few minutes and explained that Link was to be taken to Zelda immediately. Link follow the messenger to where Zelda was. After a quick glance back at the guards, he made a quick mental note to talk to Zelda about the training that the guards receive. The messenger lead Link down a series of halls before stopping at the royal library. He paused and did a slight bow to Link before quickly taking off in the other direction on some other task. Link turned back to the door and lightly knocked. He backed up as a studious looking person opened the door.

"Yes? Is there something I can help you with?"

Link answered by simply saying 'Zelda' then looking with a meaningful glance behind the man. The man opened the door wider and did a small motioning gesture to Link before walking into the room. At first Link just stared at the enormity of the room, then he looked across the room to see the man he was talking to earlier turn a corner of one of the long aisle ways. Link sped up his pace to keep up, after quite a few twists and turns through the hundreds of book-filled rows, they came to a large open area that was decorated with couches and armchairs. Almost immediately Link noticed Zelda sitting in one of the far armchairs deeply concentrated on a scroll that was laid out in front of her. The studious man that had brought Link held out one hand for a few seconds indicating for Link to wait. Next he walked over to Zelda and bow deeply before explaining that there was someone to see her. Zelda thanked the man and he went off though some other aisles on the other side of the room. She then set aside the scroll and smiled at Link before inviting him to join her.

"This is probably the best place to conduct our business; almost no one comes in here anymore." Zelda sighed. "I know this probably isn't the best timing but I need your help with this." she said as she tapped the scroll she had been reading. Link looked down at the scroll. The penmanship was close to illegible but after just a glance Link could see that the letter had the word "dragon" sprinkled thought out the entire text.

"It's a report from one of our very remote villages, they are requesting back up from our army to help get rid of a dragon that has been attacking their villages and farm land." she explained, worry clouding her features.

"Will you send them?" Link asked curiously

"I want too, but it gets more complicated, the village is right on the edge of our boundaries and Norachre's and unfortunately we have a very uneasy relationship with that particular neighboring kingdom. And if they were to see our army marching towards the border they might assume that we are declaring war on them." Zelda sighed again.

Link paused and thought for a moment. It was relatively easy to guess what the princess was going to ask of him but he did have other things to deal with first.

"I'll go." Link said after a few moments silence

Zelda looked visibly relieved before frowning and asking. "Are you sure? It's a long journey and I don't want to impose on you more than I already have."

Link smiled and said "It's fine... But I can't leave right away."

Zelda did a bit of a start after hearing that but replied. "Alright, that's fine when do you think you can leave?"

Link smiled again and explained to her about the Resistance meeting in two days.

Zelda didn't say anything for a few moments but then she chuckled and said. "I'm very glad that you have found somewhere for you to fit in here in Hyrule... I was a bit concerned that you would go back to Ordon and I wouldn't be able to see you." Then as if just realizing what she had said blushed slightly and said "I-I mean the royal guard is just so pathetic it's nice to have someone around who knows what they're doing."

Link smiled and pretended not to notice the princess' cover up. After spending a few more minutes hammering out the details of the trip Link stood, bowed and excused himself, leaving though the twist and turns of the library aisles.

After exiting the castle Link headed back toward the bridge leading out of the town. He reached the end of the bridge and called Epona, as he waited for her to arrive he looked around. He guessed that it was about 1:00 in the afternoon, leaving him little time to get to Ordon. After pausing for a few moments more he decided to go anyway, with the upcoming trip he had some things he would need to pick up before he left. Link climbed onto Epona and set her galloping towards Ordon.


	3. Telma's mystery guest

Chapter 3

Telma looked around the bar from behind the counter. There were a few guards from the castle sitting at the back of the room but other than that, the bar was empty. She looked up at the clock and sighed. It was only 3:00, there was still another 3 hours before any interesting people would arrive. Louise jumped up onto the counter and meowed. Telma stopped polishing a glass and stroked her, Louise purred before jumping back down off the counter. Telma watched her for a while before going back to polishing the glass. A few minutes later the door to bar opened and revealed a hooded figure. Telma took her usual stance and welcomed the mysterious person "Well hello hon, welcome to Telma's bar. What can I get ya?"

The strange person glanced around the bar before answering "Just water."

Telma before this hadn't been able to distinguish whether the person was female or male, but after she spoke it was clear, even though muffled by the scarf she wore, that this mysterious person was, in fact, female. Before Telma could ask any further questions the woman took the glass of water from the counter and went and sat at one of the tables not far from the table that the guards were sitting at. Even though strange people had often come into her bar, this one especially intrigued Telma. Since there wasn't likely to be anyone else coming in anytime soon Telma spent her time watching the hooded woman. The woman spent most of her time sipping at the water and glancing at the guards on the other side of the room. As the minutes past the woman seemed to be getting more and more annoyed. Telma looked over at the guards but it didn't seem like they were doing anything.

After about 20 minutes the guards got up and after paying, left. The hooded woman watched them the entire time. After the door was shut the hooded person calmly walked over to the door to the bar and locked it.

Before Telma could protest the woman lifted off her hood and revealed her features. After a few seconds of silence Telma said "Well ain't this an interesting surprise, it's a privilege to have ya ... Princess Zelda."

"Thank you" Zelda replied, "But please just call me Zelda."

"Fine with me, I've never been big on titles. Now, I'm sure this isn't just a social visit, was there something that you needed me for?" Telma said before shifting into her signature pose.

"I hear that Link has joined the Resistance, is that correct?" Zelda said

"Yes that's right, he agreed to it last night. Why?"

"I would like to ask for some help from your group, you see Link agreed to go and kill a dragon that has been pillaging the villages up east... but I don't want him to go on his own." She paused then quickly continued. "Not-not that I don't believe he is capable but I just would feel more secure if he would travel in a group." Zelda blushed slightly before looking back at Telma

"Well dear, I can't make any definite arrangements without talking with the rest of the group, but knowing them I'm sure that they'll agree." Telma answered with a smile

"Wonderful... And I have one more thing I would like to talk to you about; it's about someone whom I would like to accompany your group." Zelda said with a slight smile.


	4. Visiting Ordon

Chapter 4

Link rode under the flowering arch that leads into Ordon, a warm breeze touched the hero's face. Link nudged Epona in the direction of his old house. After tying off her off Link nimbly climbed up the ladder that led to his door. Link paused in the doorway and looked around his home, allowing old memories to flood back to his mind. As he walked around the lower level he noticed a note on the table. Link leaned over to look at it. It read

 _Link,_

 _This is a welcome home note from everyone in Ordon! We miss seeing you and we hope that this note will make you guilty enough to come visit us before running off again, Ha ha. We have a surprise for you so you had better come and say hi._

 _Mayor Bo_

Link couldn't help smiling after he read the note. He carefully tucked it in his pouch and wandered over to his window. As he glanced out he saw Talo, Beth and Collin running towards his house. He walked over to open the door just as the group reached the bottom of the ladder.

"Hey! Link! You're back! Where have you been?!" Talo yelled up to him

"You're back! You're back! We all missed you!" Beth yelled as Link started climbing down the ladder

Link reached the bottom of the ladder and was quickly bombarded with questions from the two of them like' Where did you go? How long can you stay? Did you bring us anything?'

Link tried to answer as many questions as he could but it was almost impossible it keep up with the two. Just then Colin pushed past Talo and Beth to see Link. Link smiled down at him.

"Link I've been training now I'm starting to get strong like you! Soon I will be able to take care of everyone when you're away."

Link knelt down at his level and smiled encouragingly. Colin then got all bashful and looked down at the ground.

"I told myself that I would ask for some tips from you the next time you came to visit ... but I'm sure that you have better things to do so just forget I said anything." Colin said quietly.

"I would be happy to." Link said to him

Then Talo spoke up, "Why don't you do it now then me and Beth can watch!"

"Yes, yes please!" Beth chimed in.

Link and Colin looked at each other before nodding.

 _20 minutes later_

"Ok so here's how we're going to do it," Talo said after he and Beth finished setting up dummies and targets around Links house. "Link, you do some cool move that you want to teach Colin then Colin will try to copy you, and me and Beth will watch and tell Colin what he could do to do the technique better."

Link nodded and looked at Colin. Colin looked a bit tense but nodded too.

"Great! Ok Link, GO!"

Link walked up to one of the dummies, got in position and did a jump attack cutting the pumpkin clean in half. After Link stood back again he worried that he had made the technique too hard for Colin. But Colin just walked up to the other dummy with confidence and copied the technique with ease, slicing the entire left side off of his pumpkin.

"Whoa! That was great! Colin was almost the same as Link." Talo shouted

"Yeah!" Beth said next. "Just make sure that you keep your sword straight in front of your chest as you bring it down Ok Colin?"

"Right then you will be able to cut the pumpkin right down the center." Talo added.

Link looked with respect at Colin and said 'good job' with a slight nod. Colin looked up at him and beamed with pride.

"Hey Link! Do something harder this time, that way Colin can learn something new!"

Link looked at Colin for confirmation to which he nodded with a determined look on his face. Link walked back up to the dummy that Beth and Talo had reassembled and took a low stance. He stared at it for a second more before quickly jumping to side of the dummy, rolled and jumped up spinning knocking the armor straight off. Talo and Beth stared in disbelief before cheering and saying "Do it again, do again!"

Colin stood looking at Link for a while before taking his place in front of the dummy. He gulped and got down in a low position, rolled and tried to jump back up but his sword got stuck underneath him and fell back to the ground with an oomph. Link ran over to see if he was right but he quickly got up and said "I'm fine, I'm going to try it again."

Link nodded and stepped back. Colin took his position again and crouched low. He rolled jumped up and turned his sword to cut the straps of the armor but just was a fraction of an inch to low and fell back to the ground.

"Aww man that was so close Colin! Keep trying I'm sure you can get it." Talo yelled over to Colin.

Then Beth spoke up. "But Talo, the mayor said that we have to be back at home before dark and it's almost dark now."

They all looked around and Link judged that it was close to 6:00. Colin said "That's ok I can practice on my own later then next time you come you can show me a new technique ok?"

Link smiled and promised that he would. Just then Link's vision went black and he could feel two petite hands over his eyes.

"Guess who" Ilia said in a sing-song voice. Link grimaced slightly but not enough for anyone to notice. He quietly answered "Hello Ilia."

She giggled "Aww how did you know it was me?" she pouted playfully Link just smiled good naturedly but didn't bother to answer.

"Iiii-llliiiaaaa! you said you were going to stay in the village! You can talk to Link later!" Beth whined

"I couldn't wait," Ilia answered back "besides I was done all my work in the village." she added as she still hovered uncomfortably close to Link. Link cleared his throat and moved slightly away from her.

"Maybe we should go down to the village so everyone can see Link." Colin said coming to Link's rescue Link smiled gratefully to Colin before starting to walk toward the village.

Link was greeted by a large entourage of people. Many of the villagers reacted the same as Talo and Beth did, asking questions about where he had been, how long he could stay. Link tried to keep on top of all the questions but after a while just gave up and let Talo and Beth answer for him since they seemed to be doing a better job anyway. Eventually Link, Ilia and the children ended up over by the mayor's house. Mayor Bo ran out and caught Link in a spine crushing hug.

"Oh Link it's so good to see you, our little village has felt so strange without you." The mayor said after releasing Link.

Link readjusted himself and said that he was happy to be back.

"Speaking of which, the whole village has been putting together some ideas for a celebration for when you returned, do you think you would be able to stay?"

Link chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck before responding. He explained about the current situation with the Resistance and about the dragon attacks. The mayor listened to the whole thing very intently; even Talo and Beth were silent as he related the past few days to them.

"So you mean that your leaving again tomorrow?!" Ilia asked Link nodded

There was slight awkward silence before the mayor broke in with "Well then we had better enjoy you while you're here. I'm going to go make arrangements for the festivities. Just wait here for a few minutes."

30 minutes later he returned and said "Alright everyone thank you for your patience. Link please go and enjoy yourself."

Link looked around stunned, in a seemingly impossible amount of time the main village area had completely been transformed into a full-blown festival. The trees had been decorated with hanging lights, there was a long table full of food, and Talo's parents were playing musical instruments for people to dance to. Link looked around in wonder for a few moments more before walking over to visit with some of the friend he had not yet spoken to. Link had decided to make it his goal to talk to everyone in the village; he felt that he owed everyone that much. As Link quietly circulated through the crowds, Talo and Beth ran around laughing and eating while Colin stood protectively over his baby sister. Link finished by talking to Mayor Bo again and thanking him for the beautiful party.

"Why think nothing of it my friend, we are so glad that you were able to visit with us." he answered with a beaming smile.

Link and the mayor looked out over the party and watched as Rusl and Uli danced in tune to Jaggie and Pergie's music Link then felt the all too familiar feeling of getting tackled from behind.

"Hey! Why are you guys just standing around, Link you should be down there having fun!" Ilia said as she pushed at him flirtatiously.

Link looked at her for a moment before quietly sighing and explaining to her that he was just speaking with her father. Ilia looked slightly disappointed and was going to say something back but the mayor spoke up first.

"Ilia, honey, did you change clothes? " he asked curiously After he mentioned it Link noticed that she and changed from her normal clothing into a knee length, flowing, green dress and had a matching green clip in her hair.

"Oh, yeah; I decided I should change for the party after all. Does it look nice?" she asked before twirling around to show it off

"Yes, you look very nice my dear" The mayor answered

Ilia then looked at Link while looking for all the world like she was begging him to say something nice about how she looked.

"Very nice." Link said in agreement to the mayor's earlier comment. This seemed to satisfy Ilia and the stood silent for a few more moments. They listened as the upbeat music flowed through the air and into the night sky. Everyone clapped for Jaggie and Pergie after they finished the song; they nodded thanking everyone for listening and announced that they would now be playing the final song. They began playing a slow waltz filled with grace and poise. Link would have contentedly listened to the skill of the two musicians, but Ilia had other ideas.

"Link come on let's go dance!" she said excitedly as she started to pull him down to the clearing where the other couples had already begun dancing.

Link tried to protest but found that Ilia could be quite strong if she wanted to. She paid no attention as she continued dragging him towards the music. In a last desperate hope Link turned to the mayor pleading with his eyes to help him, but the mayor knew just as well as Link that there wasn't much to do to change Ilia's mind. Link sighed and allowed himself to be taken down to the dancing area. Ilia turned back to Link and put her hand on his shoulder. Link took her hand and started dancing with her. They gracefully danced among the other couples for a while before Ilia spoke up.

"Wow, you dance so well. Where did you learn to do that?" she asked.

Link hesitated as he considered how to reply. He had been taught to dance by Zelda; after defeating Ganondorf Link was require to attend numerous balls and ceremonies to honour and thank him for all that he had done for Hyrule. Link wasn't very fond of being in large groups of people, especially when he hadn't met them before. But at the request of Zelda, he had learned the basic etiquette of the court; including dancing.

"Link?" Ilia said, snapping Link out of his thoughts "Hmm? Oh sorry I learned when there were all those celebrations, ... You know, after the whole Ganondorf thing" he answered quietly.

"Hmmm." Ilia said with a slightly suspicious look on her face.

The two stayed quiet for a little while longer as the music continued to play. Link looked around and saw Rusl and Uli dancing over to the right of them, their faces clearly show their love for each other, Link quietly wondered if he would ever be able to love someone like that. A small blush crept over his face as an image of princess Zelda popped into his head. Link quickly shook his head trying to rid his mind of the image. 'She would never have feelings like that for me.' he reminded himself sternly.

Ilia looked up at Link and considered saying something to him but the look on his face stopped her. They both stopped dancing and looked up as Jaggie hit the last note. Ilia slowly detached herself from Link and looked up at his face again. The odd expression that had been present had now vanished and Link was back to his signature serious yet cheerful look as he applauded for the two musicians. Link turned to her and nodded before walking over to visit with Colin. Link sighed slightly and relaxed as the distance between him and Ilia increased. Link thought about his relationship with Ilia, it wasn't that he didn't LIKE Ilia, he did, but it was more that he didn't want the relationship to be more than just simple LIKING.

Colin welcomed Link's company and proudly showed off his baby sister to him. Link and Colin fawned over the adorable little girl for a while until Rusl and Uli returned.

"You're quite the little dancer, aren't ya Link?" Rusl said with a crooked grin. "And to be dancing with Ilia too..." he said while openly smiling at Link's dejected expression.

Link looked up at the smiling couple with a tired look on his face.

"Aww don't look like that Link" Rusl teased him while slapping him on the back. "Ilia's strong willed but I'm sure that she'll get over ya soon." Rusl smiled and put his arm around Link's shoulder. Link smiled gratefully at him.

"Oh! Dear you didn't tell Link about the surprise!" Uli broke in suddenly. Rusl slapped his forehead.

"You're right, I completely forgot" he said "Link the mayor and me got together and made a little something for you to take on your adventures, I hope that it will be useful to you... Colin do you think you could go grab it from the house?"

"But Dad, you took it over to the mayor's house for safe keeping early yesterday."

"Oh you're right! Thank goodness I have the two of you to help me remember these things for me." Rusl said as he smiled fondly at his wife and son.

"Well how's about me and Link go to the mayor's house now to get it?" Rusl asked Link nodded but Colin broke in and asked "Dad can I come too?" Rusl nodded and said "Why not? The more the merrier."

The three started walking towards the far end of the village as Uli walked the baby down the path into the small home.

"The present for Link? Oh of course I had completely forgotten." the mayor replied as he rummaged around in one of his overflowing trunks. "Now I know I left it somewhere..."

"You left it upstairs father." Ilia said calmly from the other side of the room as she took the clips out of her hair.

"Oh yes that's right I left it upstairs in that chest for safe keeping, thank you Ilia"

Ilia just nodded and went back to brushing out her hair.

"Link do you mind going and grabbing it from upstairs?" the mayor asked him Link nodded and started climbing up the ladder to the second floor.

He spotted the chest in seconds and walked over to it; he lifted the lid and leaned over to reach in. A suspenseful build up of music started to pay in Link's ear as he pulled the object out. As the object came into view a triumphant melody blared. Link had often wondered where the music came from but had never been able to discover the source. Link brought his attention back to the two claw-shaped objects that were placed contentedly in his open palms. He carefully climbed back down the ladder with the strange devices in his hands.

"Ahh Link! Wonderful! So, what do you think of the surprise?" mayor Bo asked as Link came back over toward the group. Link smiled nervously and answered "They're great... But what are they?" Link asked with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

The mayor started to laugh

"Well I suppose you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at them now would you? Rusl? I think you'd better explain, I've never been good at explaining things like that" he said while still chuckling

"Gladly," Rusl answered, also grinning ear to ear. "Link those are called 'diggers' "

Link raised his eyebrow slightly at the simplistic name but didn't interrupt.

"They allow you to tunnel into soft dirt and even dig up some small treasures at times."

Link suddenly looked back down at the 'diggers' with new found interest.

'These will let me be able to dig like when I could transform into a wolf' He thought happily.

Link found that after Midna had gone back to the twilight realm he was no longer able to change into his wolf form. Link had been disappointed but had somewhat expected that it would happen.

'After all,' Link had reasoned 'Midna used that glowing stone that Zant had put in me to make me change back and forth.' the glowing stone had been missing ever since the fight with Ganondorf.

Link broke off from his internal thoughts and turned back to the mayor and Rusl, thanking them very much for the wonderful gift.

"Aww don't thank us, after all that you've done for us we should be thanking you." Rusl said while rubbing the back of his neck.

The mayor murmured similar comments.

"Well, me and Colin here better be getting back home, it is getting late." Rusl announced

Colin nodded a goodbye to Link and mayor and they walked out of the house. Link then turned and said that he would be leaving too. But before he could walk more than a step Ilia called to him to wait.

"I'll walk you to your house ok?" she said as she got up from where she was sitting.

The mayor started to protest but a swift sideward glance from Ilia silenced him. He then turned to Link with an eyebrow raised as of to ask if he was ok with it. Link just shrugged in reply.

Link and Ilia walked out into the cool air. He wondered if Ilia was going to be warm enough in her flimsy green dress. But Ilia didn't seem to be bothered by the cold breeze that flowed through the now silent village. They quietly walked down the paths ways leading to Link's home. Neither said anything as they walked. Link glanced at Ilia to see if she was ok, since silence around her was a rare occurrence. But Link only found her looking straight ahead with a look of deep thought etched on her face.

The two walk slowly up the hill leading up to the house. Link stopped at the ladder and looked back at Ilia she looked down at the ground to avoid his gaze before she spoke

"Link... I, ... I've wanted to tell you something for a long time but it never seemed to be the right time for me to do it."

Link groaned inwardly already guessing what Ilia was going to say. Link frantically tried to think of something to say to stop her from continuing.

"Ilia." he said "I wanted to thank you for the dance tonight. But I think that we're both tired and we should really get some sleep."

Link was silently hoped that it would be enough to stop Ilia. He knew that if she admitted that she had feelings for him, would only hurt her in the end.

Ilia looked up from the ground to Link's face.

"Yeah, you're probably right... I'll see you in the morning ok?" Ilia answered quietly. She paused mid turn, spun back around and planted a small kiss on Link's cheek.

"Goodnight." she said as she hurried down the path leading to the village.


	5. The case of the missing horse

Chapter 5

Link woke with a huge yawn. He looked around groggily wondering where he was. He looked around some more before realizing he was in his house in Ordon. His mind was still processing this information as he started to climb out of his warm bed.

The party! Ilia! Of course! The memories flooded back as he perched on the edge of his bed. Link was never a morning person but today was especially bad. Ilia... Link's hand subconsciously went up to his cheek. Link groaned openly.

'Why'd she have go and do that?' Link wondered darkly. He reached over and grabbed his shirt and tunic and started to pull it over his head but decided against it. He threw it into a heap in the corner where he had left his boots and weapons the night before and jumped down to the lower level of the house. He wandered over to the trunk where he kept his spare clothes. He pulled out a clean tunic and started to put it on. After he was fully dressed he walked over to the cupboard. He pulled it open and found some crackers and raisins. Link considered if it would be a good idea to eat them since they had been in his cupboard since who-knows-when? He shrugged and started eating them. They weren't too bad, a bit stale but he didn't have time to get anything better.

Link grabbed his weapons out if the corner and walked out of his house. As he climbed down the ladder he looked over to where he had left Epona.

'Annnnnd she's gone. Of course she's gone. Well this day just keeps getting better and better doesn't it.' He thought with a sigh. Link noticed that he had been sighing a lot since the time that he had arrived at Ordon. The thought made him smile slightly before he looked towards the woods. He considered calling Epona but if his suspicions were correct Epona wouldn't come anyway.

Link groaned quietly and started walking towards the village, he figured Talo or Beth would most likely know where Ilia had his horse. Link wandered down to Talo's house and was about to knock on the door when he heard pounding on the side of the house. Curiously Link rounded the house to see what the noise was. It his surprise it was Jaggie pounding nails.

Link purposely snapped a twig to get Jaggie's attention.

"Oh hey! Link it's you, I was wondering if it was Talo trying to play another prank on me." he said with a laugh

Link just smiled and asked what he was doing.

"Oh this?" he asked while pointing at the hammer and nails. "Why we're opening up a new shop! On the side of our house here!" he said with a beaming smile

"A shop?" Link asked in confusion.

"Yeah a shop, Sera decided that she didn't want to run the village shop anymore and so my kind son volunteered to set up one of his shops down here!" Jaggie said glowing with pride. "And just who's going to be runnin' that shop, that's right! Me! Malo gave me all the instructions about how to run the shop and what the layout of it should be."

Link congratulated him and asked when he thought he would be finished.

"Oh, I don't know... Few months maybe?" Jaggie replied uncertainty. Link nodded happily and said that he hoped everything would go well.

"Ha! You and me both kid!" he answered with a crooked grin.

Link grinned back and asked where he could find Talo.

"Hmm, I think I heard that he was going to go swimming on the far side of the lake with Colin and Beth. You know, where there's that circular area of water with that small island." he said while pointing past the houses to where Link had retrieved the cradle from the monkey. Link turned back to Jaggie and thanked him before running off to the docks. As he ran Link scanned the sky to figure out what time it was. He started to run faster when he saw that it was getting to be close to 10:00.

'Darn it Ilia!' he thought, 'I need my horse!'

Link winced as he thought about what Telma would do to him if he was late.

He reached the dock and quickly looked around, Talo and Beth were nowhere in sight. Link sighed and jumped into the cold water. He switched into his Zora outfit as he swam. Then propelled himself into a rapid dive to pick up speed. He climbed up onto the small island where Jaggie had said he would find the kids. Link paused for a few seconds to catch his breath before looking around. His eyes locked with Talo's as he stared down at him wide eyed.

"Link!" He said surprised. "What are you doing here? I thought you had already left?!"

Link stood up and dusted himself off before answering "That's because I'm already supposed to be gone." he said with a hint of anger crowding his voice Talo cautiously looked up at Link's face trying to decipher if the anger was directed at him or at someone else. They both turned to see Beth and Colin emerge from beneath the surface of the water.

"Aww Colin! How are you so good at holding your breath?! I can't seem to beat you no matter how much I practice." Beth said with a pout.

Colin smiled with a slight blush. He and Beth started to swim back to the island before noticing Link standing there.

"Link!" Beth cried "Why are you still here? We thought you were leaving early this morning! ...Wait, what are you wearing?"

Link looked down at his clothes. The dark blue of his Zora outfit was a sharp contrast to the green around him.

"It's to let me breathe under water, a gift from the Zoras" He answered in way of explanation

"That so cool!" Talo said "Can you really breath underwater?!"

"Yes but-" Link started to answer

"Of course he can breathe underwater stupid Talo," Beth interrupted "If Link says it can do that then it does" she said pointedly at Talo with her arms crossed (which Link and Colin both found hilarious because she tried to do this as she was treading water)

"Look that's not a big deal but I need your guys' help, Li-" Link tried to say

"Oh be quiet Beth I know that! I just wanted to see if it could do anything else! That's all." Talo broke in

"Guys-"

"That doesn't matter! If it could do something else Link would say it would now wouldn't he?" Beth shot back

"Maybe he just forgot to mention it!" Talo yelled

A fight quickly got underway between the two and eventually just ended in an endless name calling spree until Link got tired of it and splashed some water in their faces.

"Hey! Why'd you do that?" they both asked frowning.

Link looked at them both sternly "I did it to make you two stop fighting and listen up" he answered. They looked sullenly at him but decided not to argue.

"Now listen. I need your guys help. I'm going to be late as it is getting to Hyrule, but I still need to find my horse because _somebody_ has taken her" Link said with a roll of his eyes. The three kids looked at each other

"It was probably Ilia" Talo said a after a moment

"Yeah, it seems like something she would do" Beth said with a roll of her eyes

"She's probably at the spring" Colin said quietly Link mentally kicked himself for not thinking of that earlier. He thanked Colin very much and bid goodbye to the three before jumping back into the water.

Link arrived out of breath at the Ordon Spring. He looked up from his hunched over state to see Ilia sitting on the grassy area surrounding the water. Epona pranced around the warm water happily trying to nip at the passing fairies. Link whistled and Epona ran over and nuzzled his face. He laughed and stroked her face. Ilia slowly got up from the ground and walked over to Link.

"So I guess you found me" she said with a small laugh as she looked down at the ground.

Link sighed "You really need to stop stealing my horse" He said.

She answered with a smile "I didn't steal her; I just took her to make sure she was a set for your ... trip" she said, the word with a slight catch in her voice. Link said nothing and just looked at her for a while. She seemed to be doing everything in her power to not meet his stare.

"Ilia." Link said after a while

She twitched slightly but didn't look up.

"Ilia, look at me" he said more firmly

She seemingly tore her gaze away from to ground and forced herself to look in his eyes. Link saw a flood of emotions run behind her eyes.

"There's nothing that can stop me from going on this trip... Or any other one like it. But that doesn't mean that I'm never going to come back." Link paused and waited to see her reaction. A shot of pain passed over her face as she tilted her head slightly away.

"I need you to stay here and care for everyone in my place." he told her gently "and I need you to stop making things harder for me every time I decide to do something that you don't agree with, ... Do you think that you're able to do that?" Link asked her seriously.

After a long pause Ilia answered "Well, it will be hard" she said with a slight chuckle "but I guess I could try."

Link smiled relieved that she had answered the way she did. Now at least she would let him go without any more distractions.

"Thank you" he said simply as he climbed up into Epona's saddle and looked back down at Ilia. She stroked Epona's nose before backing up to make way for them.

"Thank your father for me ok?" Link asked over his shoulder

"Of course I will. Keep yourself safe." Ilia replied

"Have I ever done otherwise?" Link answered with a grin. He laughed and kicked Epona into a gallop leaving Ilia staring after them.

 ***Just for future reference Norachre is the province beside Hyrule.**


	6. Making plans

**Chapter 6**

If looks could kill there would be one less hero in the world, as the stare Telma leveled Link as he burst through the door would have made Ganondorf himself take a step back.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" he gasped out, making a real showing that he had run the whole way through castle town hoping that would earn some pity points.

No such luck, Telma just raised an eyebrow and continued to stare him down.

"Not to worry lad, I'm sure you have a good reason." Auru said coming to his rescue. "Come have a seat and tell us what happened."

Link was happy to accept and move out of Telma's direct gaze.

"So what happened? Get lost?" Ashei teased.

"No my horse got stolen." He sighed.

This earned a couple of curious looks from the group.

"Bandits?" Auru asked

"Not that simple unfortunately." Link rolled his eyes. "There's this girl in my village who has this habit of taking Epona without asking."

"This has happened before?" Shad asked

"More times than I can count," Link shook his head. "But I can't stay mad at her, I've known her since we were toddlers and she doesn't mean anything malicious by it, it's just a bit annoying."

"So the famous Hero of Twilight was outsmarted by a lovestruck childhood friend," Ashie smirked. "Quite the story."

"Who said anything about lovestruck?" Shad asked confused

"It's pretty obvious, besides look how he's blushing now, that just confirms it." Ashei said triumphantly laughing at Link's face. "Does that mean the feeling are mutual?"

"No, she's just a friend." Link was quick to respond

The three of them continued to smirk and made a show of pretending to believe him.

"Man, you guys are just as bad as Rusl." Link said with a laugh.

Ashei grinned and punched him the shoulder "Where do think he got his sense of humor?" she asked.

Telma wandered over to the table and looked Link straight in the eye.

"Now listen up kid I forgive you for being late but that doesn't mean you're out of trouble." Telma said as she stared down at him.

Link bowed his head to show that he understood.

"Now I believe you've got some explaining to do." she said pointedly Link looked up in confusion. He went over what he had already said in his mind and didn't find anything that he had left out. He looked back up at Telma and hoped that she would explain.

"I had an unusual visitor yesterday at the bar, I'm pretty sure that you know her Hon." Telma said with a smirk.

Now Link was really confused. He looked at Telma with a look of almost begging her to tell him what was going on

"Princess Zelda paid me a visit and informed me that you had accepted to do a job for her." she said with an eyebrow raised.

Link looked up at her in surprise; he started to say something but no word would come out of his mouth. He quickly glanced around at the other three to see their reactions. Ashei's previous teasing look had disappeared to be one of irritation.

"And we heard you weren't going to bring us!" Ashei said with her face two inches from Link's. He tried desperately to get away from Ashei but only ended up bumping into Auru.

"You really should know better," he said with a chuckle. "The moment they'd find out you where you'd gone they would have rushed right after you... myself included." he finished with a crooked smile. Link smiled back at him then turned back to face Ashei.

"I thought you guys would be busy" he said lamely.

"Busy?!" she asked "We've been bored out of our skulls! Ever since you came waltzing in here and killed off Zant or whatever his name is, all our jobs have disappeared."

"It's true," Telma put in. "The group of them have been moping around here like lost puppies for weeks" she said with a wink.

"Oh now, that's a bit harsh don't you think Telma?" Auru asked with a slightly hurt expression.

"No I don't think so, besides it's not fair that Link is the only one getting teased." Telma said with a wide smile.

Link glanced at Telma and wonder if she actually thought that this qualified as teasing. He shrugged it off and looked sympathetically at Auru.

"So now that that's all out of the way we should get down to plans such as what routes we should take, or what food to bring." Shad suggested with an ever-present practicality. The rest of the group nodded but Link continued to stare at them stunned

"Wait you mean you're actually serious? You guys are coming?" he asked in disbelief they all looked at him in confusion.

"Wow you really are dense yeah?" Ashei said as she shook her head. "Of course we're coming... And don't you dare try to leave without us got it?"

Link looked at each face in turn. Each one of them looked back at him with expressions mirroring Ashei's.

"Come on Link." Auru said. "You have to know when your beat." he said with a chuckle.

Link smiled back at him and quickly tried to readjust his plans to accommodate the extra people.

Telma then spoke up. "Now wait a minute, we're not quite ready to start the planning yet." she said as the others looked at her in confusion. "I have someone I want to introduce to you dears."

They all waited expectantly and Shad even looked toward the door to see if someone was going to come in. Telma noticed him looking and laughed.

"Oh no, Hon he's already in the room… look behind you."

The three turned looked where Telma was pointing. Hidden by the shadows they could just make out a basic shape of a person. Ashei immediately jumped to her feet and put her hands on her daggers.

"How on earth did he get in here?" she hissed.

Telma just continued to smile. "He's been here the whole time, ... I guess you just didn't notice him." she said as she smirked at Ashei's unease.

Ashei glanced back and forth between the figure (who by this time still hadn't moved) and Telma before boldly walking up to the person. She bent down and looked the person up and down. After getting no reaction from them she waved her hand in front of their face.

"Hey! Aren't ya gonna introduce yourself or anything?" she asked him sarcastically.

Before any of them could react the mysterious person grabbed Ashei's outstretched hand, twisted it behind her back and pushed her to the floor, while in the process making her drop her dagger.

"Ow! Hey! Let me go!" Ashei yelled

Link could barely hear the response of the person but it was something to the effect of "Actions like that could get you hurt... You should be more careful."

Link peered around Shad to see if he could get a better look at this stranger. From where he was he couldn't tell the facial expression but he could see that he had turned his head to look down at Ashei. Their eyes locked for a couple seconds more before he let her go. Ashei jumped up and stepped back then waited until he was standing. She walked back to the table but refused to sit down; instead she opted for standing with her back against the wall.

Link watched this while trying to conceal a grin. 'She must really hate it when someone catches her off guard." he thought. He looked curiously at the person as he came in to light, revealing his features to them. Link was taken aback by his odd appearance. His face was completely covered except for one of his eyes by a cowl and hat made of bandages. His eyes were a deep scarlet red that darted around taking everything in immediately. His body was covered in a thick skin-tight suit of fabric. The front of his torso had a symbol painted into of an eye with one tear falling from it. The sleeves ran all the way down his arms and at the end his hands were covered in bandages that only showed the tips of his fingers. Both parties absorbed information about each other like a sponge, each comparing the similarities and differences. They assessed each other's fighting styles by their physique or by the weapons they carried. Link carefully looked to see if he could gain any knowledge of where this strange person came from, but with no success.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Sheik, of the remaining Sheikah tribe." Telma said breaking the silence.

The group uneasily nodded their greetings before lapsing back into an awkward silence. Sheik glanced from one to another without the slightest change in expression. Link looked back at him and smiled once Sheik reached him. He stared at him for a second or two longer than the others but then turned his attention back to Telma. Telma was walking back toward the table with a chair she had taken from one of the other tables. She brought it over and set it next to Link.

"Come make yourself comfortable." she said in a sweet but firm voice. Sheik looked slightly tense but then calmly walked over and sat beside Link.

Link turned and held his hand out to Sheik saying, "Happy to have you along with us." he smiled and waited to see what the reaction of the Sheikah would be.

Sheik stared at Link's hand for a couple of seconds before warily nodding and shaking it. Auru then put out his hand from across the table.

"The names Auru, but guess you would already know that after sitting in that corner for so long." he said with a laugh

Sheik shook Auru's hand. Link noticed from the side that the corner of Sheik's eyes lifted slightly giving the impression that he was smiling, though it was hard to tell with the scarf covering the bottom half of his face. Shad was next to stand up and shake Sheik's hand.

"My name is Shad, I likely won't be able to help you with anything combat related but if its history or myths, I'm your guy." Shad beamed with delight as he said this. Ashei on the other hand still had a sharp glint in her eye as she watched the rest of the group.

"It's Ashei." she snapped obviously still shaken from her earlier encounter with Sheik. Sheik nodded in response. Shad glanced uneasily between the two for a second more before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Well now that we have all the introductions out of the way shall we proceed?" he asked cautiously

"That sounds like a good idea dear," Telma said "but just so you all are aware, I won't be going along with ya." she said with a very matter-a-fact tone.

"What? Why not?" Auru asked in surprise

"Because I need to keep an eye on things around here, that way I can keep you up to date with the goings on." she answered with a small wink.

"And besides," she continued "You can think of Sheik here as my replacement... Even if that's not the real reason he's here." She finished

"And why is he here?" Ashei asked more out of curiosity then spite.

"He's-" Telma began

"I'm here as princess Zelda's representative." Sheik answered. They all jumped slightly to hear this stranger speak even though it wasn't the first time. The words were slightly muffled by the scarf but they held no uncertainty, they just rang out with a clear confidence. Link smirk at the thought of Princess Zelda wishing to accompany them. Though Link was sure the princess was more than capable in handling herself it was definitely for the best that she wasn't coming.

"Well that was very kind of the Princess to send someone so qualified to accompany us isn't it?" Shad asked Ashei with a tight smile. Ashei snorted but didn't reply.

"Epona is coming ... even if just to carry supplies" Link interjected.

Shad nodded and made a few notes in his book. "Alright so that's one horse that can at least help to lighten the load."

"Sheik has also informed me that Princess Zelda is happy to lend a few of her horses to help us along, if they would be of assistance." Telma informed them

"Wonderful," Shad responded as he wrote plans in his book. "If we can all have horses for the travel that will speed things up tremendously."

"There is also the issue of the route we will take." Link added

"Very true, I suggest that we go through Kakariko village, past Death Mountain and continue heading east that way we can collect most of our supplies at Kakariko so it will last us longer."

Everyone seemed to agree with this plan and decided that that was the way they were going to go.

"Before you all begin your big adventure," Telma said playfully, "I think you should know that you've been summoned by Prince Ralis, I received his letter earlier today and he wished that all of you would come to see him as soon as possible."

Link frowned slightly, "Did he say why?"

"No, but it didn't seem like it was because of danger or anything." she replied after a moment.

"But how do we get there?" Shad asked "I've never heard of a safe way to traverse the tide of the river."

"We don't have to take the river." Link murmured.

"What?"

"I said we don't have to take the river; there is a small pathway that leads from Hyrule field directly to the throne room." Link repeated

"Really?! That's fascinating I've never heard of that before; you will have to tell me how you came across it." Shad answered excitedly.

"Maybe a bit later, we have a few more things we need to discuss first." Auru pointed out,

"Oh yes of course, my apologies," he said, blushing.

"Alright so we'll collect together whatever we'll need for the trip then we'll head off?" Auru asked

Everyone nodded and began to discuss what provisions they would bring. The conversation lasted long into the late afternoon before they were finally ready to depart.


	7. Slightly waylaid

Chapter 7

Link stepped out on to Hyrule field and looked around. A small sigh of contentment crossed his lips as he breathed the fresh evening air. As the sun started to dip low on the horizon it covered the land in a beautiful splash of color. The trees carried a reddish glow to them while the grass looked like an orange and pink sea, swirling beneath his feet. Link stared out at the simplistic wonder in utter tranquility, before having the moment shattered by the sounds of Ashei and Shad bickering behind him.

The resistance was standing near the entrance to Hyrule with Telma and Auru packing the last of the supplies into the packs while Ashei argued with Shad about what route they were going to take. Sheik stood off a little ways from the group checking over Epona as well as the other three horses they had borrowed. Link considered going and trying to help pack but turned mid stride and went to aid Sheik instead. The two worked in complete silence for the first few minutes before Link spoke.

"Are you familiar with horseback riding?" He asked carefully, not wanting to sound like he doubted the abilities of the warrior.

Sheik didn't look offended but simply nodded and continued brushing the mane of a large black thoroughbred.

Link was uncomfortable playing the role of the chatty person, being as he was a very monosyllabic individual himself. He pushed himself to speak again.

"Would you be interested in coming with me for a ride? Epona is getting sort of restless and I have something I need to pick up near the Hidden Village." he said while pointing towards the direction he wanted to go.

Sheik eyes brightened at the mention of the hidden village and after a quick glance back at the group by the bridge he nodded. Link smiled, relieved that Sheik agreed to come.

"I'll go tell the others to meet us by the tunnel that leads upriver ok?"

He hopped up onto Epona's saddle and turned back to watch Sheik. Sheik untied the large black mount and jumped into the saddle with grace that rivaled his own. Link nodded back to Sheik as he rode off to tell the others. Link slowed Epona as they got near Ashei and Shad. Neither looked up but just continued bickering.

"I told you! We had already decided that we were going to take the tunnel to get up to the Zora's domain while Telma would meet us at Lake Hylia with the horses!" Shad shouted in frustration

"That's stupid!" Ashei countered "We should take the horse to that shop where you can fly to Lake Hylia on those chickens! It's faster!

"Absolutely not." Shad refused flatly

"Ha! You don't want to do it because you afraid of falling aren't you." She teased.

"N-no!" Shad stuttered, "And even if I was we decided that the tunnel would save energy and time."

Ashei rolled her eyes and started to reply when Link interrupted "Hey Shad!"

"Hmm? Yes?" Shad replied as he torn his angry gaze away from Ashei.

"I need you to tell the rest of the group that me an Sheik are going to go pick something up. We'll meet the rest of you at the tunnel."

"Yes of course, I'll make sure to tell the others" he said while adjusting his glasses.

Ashei looked like she was going to protest but Link quickly waved and sent Epona off to where Sheik was waiting for them.

"It's this way" He called to Sheik as they rode past. Link yelling out a "Hyah!" and sent Epona off at a gallop toward the canyon. The wind rushed at Link's face as they charged across the field. The cool autumn air ripped his sandy blond hair out of his face and he let a childish grin settle onto his face. For those few moments nothing else in the world mattered all he could feel was the low sun warming his back, Epona's strong muscles bunching beneath his legs, and the thundering sound of hooves hitting the ground in his ears.

Link reluctantly tore himself away from his dream-like trance as the canyon came into view. He looked around him to see Sheik riding just a bit to his left. Sheik's bangs still covered one of his eyes despite the wind and the scarf lay stubbornly press up to his face leaving only his single eye visible.

Link held out his hand and they both slowed as they got close village. Link jumped out of the saddle and peered around the corner one of the rock walls. Sheik also dismounted and walked over to join Link. Link began to signal for him to keep quiet but then remembered that Sheik was always silent so there was really no point. Link carefully lifted his bow and aimed it a one of the guard stalfos on the other side of the bridge. With extreme precision Link shot the arrow lodging it in the stomach of the monster.

It stiffened and fell over dead instantly. Sheik began to move out of their hiding place but Link signaled him to stay. They watched as another stalfos came into view, running to find out what happened to the other guard. Link let his second arrow fly, landing another perfect hit. Link waited until the two burst into dark clouds of evil energy before standing up. He walked over to the rock wall opposite to the entrance that leads into the hidden village and began to pull out his spinner. Sheik followed glancing around to see if there were any other monsters lying in wait. When he looked back he found Link staring at him. Sheik tilted his head ever so slightly as if to ask what he was doing.

"I'm trying to see if we can both fit on this or not." Link said in response to the unasked question.

He looked back down at the spinner.

"The place we need to go is down there." he said pointing to a ledge farther down the cliff, "and the only way to get there is on this."

As Sheik looked the machine over carefully it became clear they wouldn't be able to fit on it together.

"Do you think you would be able to operate it on your own?" Link asked, "I've never had anyone else try to use it so I have no idea if it will even work."

Sheik step up to it and carefully set his foot on it. The spinner gave a loud roar as the gear-like exterior spun, then the whole machine toppled slightly.

"Well it seems to work." Sheik said with a shrug. He took a deep breath and jump on it, sending it careening towards the edge of the cliff. Link jumped out of the way as to avoid the spinning spikes. The spinner jumped of the cliff and began to free fall. Link ran over to the edge but then sighed in relief as Sheik managed to latch the spinner into the grooved slots in the rock wall. He landed safely on the small ledge below and sent the spinner back to Link. As Link arrived on the ledge below he said, "You had me worried there for a second I thought that I would have to tell the princess that you wouldn't be coming back." he said with a slightly hysterical laugh accompanying his words.

Sheik simply shrugged and looked around at the small piece of rock they were standing on. Link began to rummage around in his pack as Sheik curiously peered over his shoulder. Link laughed at Sheik's surprise as he pulled out two clawed gauntlet like devices. Link held the strange things out for Sheik to examine more closely.

"My friends in Ordon gave these to me," Link said as he started to put the things on his hands. "They let me dig into soft dirt."

Sheik watched quietly as Link dug the claws into the dirt and began to scrape away the top layers.

"I helped a wealthy man in Hyrule once, after the whole thing was said and done he let me take any of the money that I wanted. When I was still trying to find a way to defeat Zant it was at times a pain to go into the town to collect the money, so Midna and I decided to bury some of the money out here so it would be easier to get if we needed it." He explained as he worked.

Sheik's eyes darted around Link's face, taking in every emotion that past behind his eyes. He noticed a slight note of pain crossed his face when he mentioned Midna. Sheik settled himself on the ground next to Link and reached into the pack that was secured around his leg. Similar to Link's pouch it could hold as many things as was required; Sheik's fingers slid over his many weapons of all sorts of shapes and sizes before finally resting on a leather pack that had an eerie orange glow surrounding it. Sheik carefully pulled it out and stared at it for a moment. He turned his gaze to look at Link who had stopped digging and was staring fascinated at the sack sitting in Sheik's hands. Sheik extended his arm to give the sack to Link.

"It's for you." he said as he waited for Link to take it.

Link's face twisted with indecision as he stared suspiciously at the glowing leather. After much consideration Link seemed to decide that it was safe enough to touch and tentatively reached his hand out. He set the sack in his one hand as his other tugged at the string that held the mouth of the sack closed. As the string came loose the glow from within the sack increased in brightness. Sheik watched intently as he reached in to pull out its contents. Link's eyes widened in surprise as he pulled out his wolf stone. The black jagged stone rested in Links hand while having no effect on him. He turned it over carefully trying to determine why it wasn't turning him into a wolf. The orange veins still pulsed with twilight energy but he noticed a small red jewel attached on the front. He looked at it in surprise and started to tug at it gently. Sheik reached over and took it from Link's hand; he firmly gripped the middle of the stone and started to pull out from either side of the jewel. With a small click two clear glass pieces came off from on either side of the stone. The glass pieces identically matched the sharp edges of the stone. Link automatically reached out to catch the falling stone, as it fell it wedged itself between his first two fingers just above his gauntlet.

A familiar surge of energy shot through Link's body; he felt his hair on the back of his neck start to stand up as he fell to his hands and knees. Link shivered as he felt his body morph into its new shape; his teeth started to lengthen and grow sharper, as well as his hair begin to grow and cover his whole body. After a few seconds Link pushed himself to his feet and shook his head. The transformation worked as it always had, changing his entire body into that of a dark gray wolf. Link walked around in circles trying to view himself from all angles. His single blue earring hung from his left and the jangle of his chain on his paw rang as he walked. After a complete inspection Link found everything to be just as it was when Midna was around. At the thought of Midna a small whine escaped his mouth; his back felt strangely cold without her imp form riding on top of him. Link sat down on his hunches and let his tongue hang out of his mouth. Sheik sat over a little ways from Link with his legs crossed. His face hadn't changed expression the entire time but now it seemed almost like he was smiling, though it was difficult to tell with the scarf in the way.

"Interesting." he said simply

Link scoffed then tilted his head. 'What was he expecting to happen?' he wondered in his head, 'and how did he get my stone?'

"The stone is from princess Zelda" Sheik said as if reading his mind. "The case is courtesy of her as well; as you can probably tell it make it possible for you to carry it around safely."

Link sat listening to Sheik intently as he explained. At the mention of the case Link looked down at his paw. The dagger-like stone was still wedged between his two front toes. He bent down and carefully grabbed the stone with his teeth. He gently pulled it free and set it down on the ground, though as soon as the stone dropped from his mouth he immediately felt the transformation begin to grip his body again. After Link felt his body return to normal he slowly got to his feet. He put his hand out to steady himself against the rocks. Having not transformed for a while, the change of form affected his mind slightly more than it would have normally. After clearing his head Link walked over to Sheik who was still sitting by the hole that Link had started to dig. Without a word Sheik handed him a small piece of paper marked with the official royal seal. Link took the paper into his hands and began to open it. With the seal broken the paper unraveled to reveal a small note. He immediately recognized the penmanship to be that of Zelda's.

'To Link,' the note began

I'm sorry that I am not able to be present to give this stone to you personally, however Sheik will serve as a suitable replacement in my stead. Shortly before Midna left to return to the land of twilight she entrusted the stone to me to give to you at a later date. I am hopeful that this stone will be of some use to you in your journey.

Best wishes

Zelda

Link chuckled slightly. "Always so formal." he said as he put it away. Sheik had an unreadable expression on his face as he had watched Link examine the letter.

"We had better head out," Sheik said as he started walking toward the horses. "The others will start to worry."

Link nodded and went over the hole that he had started to dig. He looked back at Sheik "Do you think I should tell the rest of the group about the stone?" he asked uncertainty.

Sheik looked thoughtful for a moment before saying "Keeping secrets from the ones you care about only invites trouble in the future."

Link nodded "That's very sage advice." he remained quiet for a moment longer before grinning "Well, it will definitely be interesting to see their reactions" he said with a laugh

"Hopefully they won't try to kill you." Sheik replied with a small twinkle in his eye.

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" Ashei asked from her look out in a tree.

"They didn't say how long they would be, they just said they need to get something." Shad replied before returning to his book.

Ashei didn't reply but just continued to watch the field for signs of their missing members. After a few more moments Ashei shifted her position so she was sitting on one of the larger branches with her back to the trunk. She laid her head back and promptly went to sleep. Auru watched her do this from the ground.

"I wish I could sleep anywhere like that," he said wistfully to Shad, "but nowadays gettin' comfortable seems to be harder and harder."

Shad smiled and said. "Well I don't think we should compare the normal population to Ashei, she's definitely got her own style."

Auru laughed again and answered "You've got that right, but I'm just happy to see her this relaxed. I haven't seen her like this since before the mountains were infested by monsters."

"And that was only on good days" Shad said they both laugh before seating themselves on the ground. Shad looked around.

"It's getting dark, should we set up camp here tonight?" he asked

Auru nodded "I think that would be most sensible. Then we can go to the Zora's domain early tomorrow morning."

Shad murmured his agreement and set off to collect the sleeping equipment from the packs.

Auru stayed sitting in the cool ground while watching the first twinkle of the stars start to grace the evening sky. He turned his attention back to watching for Link and Sheik. For a while all he could see was the silhouette of the trees that sparsely covered the Hyrule field but the off the far east he spotted the movement of two figures. He pushed himself to his feet and set off to welcome the returning members before Ashei woke up.

"Link! Sheik! I'm glad you made it here alright!" Auru happily greeted them as they got close.

"Hi Auru!" Link replied with a wide smile then said with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry we're late, we got a bit distracted."

"Well don't apologize to me I'm just glad you're safe." he replied. Link dismounted and started to check over Epona for any cuts or bruises. After finding none he started walking her over to the place the other horses were tied.

"Where's Telma?" he asked curiously

"She headed back to town to open the bar. She said that we should leave the horses here and she would bring them to the meeting place tomorrow." Auru answered.

Link nodded and continued walking. After tying Epona to a tree he went over to check if Sheik needed any help. As he walked over Sheik got up from his crouched position and started walking back to the camp. Link chuckled, 'Why I thought he would need any help I have no idea.' he thought with a shake of his head. Instead he decided to go set his weapons down near where he would be sleeping that night. He stretched contentedly after unburdening himself of all his equipment.

"Hey!" said a voice behind him. "Did you get lost or something? Shad was getting to the point of wanting to send out a search party."

Link recognized the voice and turned.

"No, not lost just sidetracked," Link said with a smile

Ashei smirked, "Well I hope this getting sidetracked won't become a regular occurrence," she said in a joking tone. "Since I was hoping to get there before winter sets in."

Link laughed. "Seeing as it's the middle of summer I think there's a pretty good chance I can make that deadline."

They both smiled and began walking to where Shad had begun setting out the food.

"Great timing you two, I just finished," Shad said as he gestured to the nicely laid out meal. "Now all we have to do is get Sheik and we'll be good to go."

"Get who?" Sheik asked mildly from immediately behind Shad.

Shad jumped "O-oh Sheik, there you are. You gave me quite a fright." he said in a shaky voice. Sheik shrugged and sat down on a rock close to the burning fire. The group sat around the fire sharing stories and laughing while eating the luxurious meal that Telma had packed for them.

"Telma sure can cook up a good meal." Auru sighed contentedly. Link leaned back and nodded his agreement.

"Link, you simply must tell us what waylaid you I'm dying of curiosity." Shad said eagerly.

"It's true, knowing you it had to be something interesting." Ashei agreed with a smirk.

Link grinned and pulled the wolf stone from his pouch. With a small click the glass covering split in two leaving the jagged stone exposed to the evening air. Link carefully grabbed the stone in his teeth and waited for the transformation to take hold. Ashei, Shad, and Auru all tensed as they watched Link morph and change into a wolf before their eyes. Link shook his body to rid himself of the strange sensations that covered his body after the change was complete. His ears perked as he looked at the individual faces of the group. Ashei and Auru stared wide eyed with their hands close to their weapons. Whereas Shad looked extremely pale and looked like he might fall over at any moment.

Sheik carefully cleared his throat causing the other three to jump slightly, "Does that explain things enough?" he asked in an amused tone.

Auru was the first to find his voice and said in a slightly shaky voice, "Well that's something you don't see every day."

Ashei blinked several times, as if trying to discern if she was seeing things. Link trotted over to her and nudged her hand with his muzzle. She smiled and tentatively touched the top of his head. Link bobbed his head and began walking over to Sheik. He opened his mouth and let the stone fall. Sheik expertly caught the stone in the two glass prices and snapped the case shut making sure not to touch the stone in passing.

"So, I know this is very minor compared to the fact that Link can suddenly change into a wolf but will he always have to carry that stone around in his mouth?" Ashei asked with a slight frown.

"It _does_ look a bit silly," Auru admitted.

"Well I'm pretty sure that the stone needs to be touching my skin for the transformation to stay in place but I don't think it needs to be in my mouth"- he paused for a moment- "besides if I have it in my mouth all the time I won't be able to fight very well."

Everyone though for a moment.

"I suppose you could keep it between your fingers... Or I guess toes." Shad offered reluctantly.

"No, same problem it could fall out while I'm running or fighting." Link replied with a shake of his head.

They were all silent again as they considered how to solve this problem. At last Auru clapped his hands together.

"I've got it! Why don't you create some sort of necklace made out of a chain, then when you take off the case you can have it resting against your skin so the transformation will hold?"

"That's perfect!" Link said before frowning slightly, "but where are we going to find a chain? And how will we make a hole in the stone?"

"Don't worry about the chain; I've got lots of extra." Ashei said with a smile. "And for the matter of making a hole you don't really have to, I mean just wrap the chain around it securely and just make sure the thing can still touch you when you need it."

As she finished the last statement she got up and began to go through her packs.

"So how did you come by that thing anyway?" Auru asked

Link hesitated but after a reassuring nod from Sheik he began to explain.

"You remember that time you helped me out at the castle, when you knocked out that Kargarok with your ..." Link paused at a loss of what to call Auru's odd weapon.

"Bazooka." Auru filled in. "it's like a potable cannon; I had it specially made by Barnes."

"With my help, of course." Ashei quipped as she returned from looking through her bags. "If it weren't for my help the idiot would have blown himself to bits." she looked over a Link. "Now give me that weird stone of yours so I can start working on it while you're talking."

He nodded and handed her the stone encased in the glass. She carefully loosened the case and left a gap in the middle of about a half inch. There she inserted a pair of metal tongs and held tight to it. After securing a sure grip she removed the case completely. Link saw Ashei had control of the situation and continued.

"Anyway, on that day you might have seen what probably looked to you like a Shadow floating near me." - He sighed softly- "that was Midna... Midna comes from a different world then ours. Where ours is a world of light hers is not. It is called the Twilight realm. And she's the one who gave me the stone"

All eyes were intently fixed on Link as he painted a picture of the twilight world to the members of the Resistance. Their eyes grew wide as he described the veil of deception that was laid upon Zant and his followers and of the horrors that later issued from their acts of terror. He explained how he - as one of the chosen of the goddess- had changed forms when he first entered the twilight where he first met Midna. He spoke of how he and Midna aided the four light spirits, Eldin, Faron, Lanayru, and Ordona and how through them they brought back light to the different provinces. Then he went into how they had had to collect the pieces of Midna's helmet from the Monkeys, Gorons, and Zoras; the mirror shards from the yeti, the Sacred Grove and the Oocca. He concluded by explaining who Midna actually was and how they eventually defeated both Zant and Ganondorf with the aid of princess Zelda and the light spirits.

"Then Midna shattered the mirror of twilight and I haven't seen her since." Link finished.

After while of watching the rest of the group staring at him dumbfounded, Link added

"That's basically it..."

"'That's basically it' !?" Ashei repeated in disbelief. "You seriously just shrug it off like that?" she asked with a mixture of awe and frustration.

"That truly is an amazing story Link. Now I can see why your name came up in almost every story I heard around that time." Auru said with a laugh

Shad just stared at Link for a long time before looking down at the ground. Link looked at him and asked if he was alright.

"You met the Oocca?"

"Um yeah... "He responded warily

"What was it like?" Shad asked with note of wonder in his voice. "Is it really as beautiful as they say?"

Link chuckled and answered quietly "It is, and after this is all over I'll take you there." she

As he was saying this Shad's face started to light up like a child who got a puppy for his birthday. Then he blushed at his evident enthusiasm and informed Link that he would take him up on his kind offer.

They all laughed at his excitement and began to tease him until Auru informed them that they should be heading off to bed. Everyone slept the night soundly away... Well almost everyone.


	8. The arcanist

Chapter 8

Link tossed and turned in his nightmarish sleep. Horror filled pictures flooded his mind making a cold sweat breakout over his body. Every instinct in his body demanded that he wake up but he couldn't free himself from the tendrils of unconsciousness.

He woke with a start to see Sheik shaking him. After he saw that Link was awake he sat back on his heels, but the same worried expression stayed on his face.

"I'm fine now... Just a bad dream." Link murmured after he stopped shaking.

Link looked down at the ground while he tried to slow his beating heart. After a few seconds he felt Sheik's bandaged hand against his forehead.

"No fever either." he assured him with a tight grin. After a few more minutes of silence Link said somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry to have woken you."

Sheik shook his head and replied. "I was already awake."

Link looked around. Judging by the darkness he figured it was sometime after 2am. He looked back at Sheik in confusion. 'Why would he be up at this time of nig-' he began to wonder when he saw the expression on Sheik's face. His scarlet red eyes mirrored the haunted expression that was portrayed in Link's blue ones.

"You too?" he asked quietly

Sheik looked away slightly and nodded. When Link looked like he was going to say more Sheik quietly told him to try to sleep if he could. Then he got up and returned to his bed with his back facing Link. Link turned over onto his back and looked at the sky, but he knew he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep that night.

Auru and Shad knelt next to the sleeping form of Ashei. They looked at each other, their faces twisted with indecision and worry. Link walked over to them as he groggily pulled his tunic over the thin chain-mail he wore.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked as he rubbed the last of sleep from his eyes

Shad looked up at him with fear evident in his face. "We can't decide if we should wake up Ashei or not."

Link looked at him in surprise. "She's not up?" Link had assumed she would be one of the first ones awake.

Auru sighed and said "No, and now we're faced with the decision whether or not to wake her."

"If we wake her she will probably be super angry, but if we let her sleep she'll probably be even angrier." Shad explained in a somewhat shaky voice.

Link hummed his understanding before leaning forward to look at Ashei. He almost burst out laughing when he saw what she looked like. Her hair which normally was bound in tight pigtails was tangled and flopped all over her face while her arm was propped under her head which made her face smosh to one side.

"You could just drop something large so it would make a big crash." Link suggested after thinking for a while.

They both brighten considerably at his solution and Shad hurried off to find something to drop.

"Just make sure that you're not within range of her fists when you drop it or things might not be pleasant for you." he called after Shad. Shad paused momentarily and nodded his understanding before resuming his search. Link chuckled and moved off to collect together the rest of his equipment. He was securing his shield to his back when he heard Shad dropping what sounded like all of the pots and pans they had. Link then winced at the screech that followed. He strapped on his sheath and sword and jogged back to where the group had slept. The first thing he saw was Ashei crouched in a fighting stance, dagger in hand, and teeth clenched.

"Don't ever do that again!" she yelled

"I-I-I'm sorry! We didn't know what to do!" Shad stuttered.

"What do you mean 'you didn't know what to do'?!" she asked in a dangerously low voice as she advanced on Shad with her dagger pointed at his neck.

"Whoa Ashei. Easy on Shad, he was just doing what he was told." Auru told her trying to ease her tension.

"Oh?" she said as she turned to face him. "And who was it that was telling him to do that?" her voice still as steely as it was before.

"That would be me." Link said as he came into the clearing.

Ashei glared daggers at him but they lacked the venom they had a few moments earlier.

"And why did you tell him to do that?" she asked carefully.

"To wake you." he answered simply.

"Humph." Ashei blushed ever so slightly and turned away.

"I'll be ready to leave in five minutes," she announced. "Everything better be packed up and ready to go by then."

As she finished saying that she stomped off to her packs and began to rummage through them. Link, Auru and Shad looked at each other and shrugged

"I'll go look after the horses." Link offered and began to walk off.

As he neared the horses he noticed Sheik lounging in one of the nearby trees staring at the castle. Link smirked and went back to checking over the horses and packs that they would be leaving for Telma. As he turned he looked over to where Sheik had been but saw that the tree was empty. He frowned and turned to walk back to the camp when he found Sheik standing directly in front of him.

"Sheik! Goddess don't do that!" Link said with a start.

Sheik smiled under his cowl and said teasingly. "What? The Hero of twilight is scared of a simple Sheikah?"

"Ok first of all, anyone in their right mind should be at least a little scared of Sheikah and their skills, and second, I'm not overly fond of having someone randomly appear right in front of me." Link said frowning trying to hide his embarrassment.

Sheik grinned again and replied "Alright if you feel so strongly about it I will try to appear in front of you in a less abrupt way."

Link rolled his eyes. "It's fine, just a little unsettling. Now I assume you came to tell me something, and not just to rub your ninja skills in my face."

Sheik giggled slightly and then as if remembering himself quickly answered. "I would never think of 'rubbing my skills in your face' as you so poetically put it, rather I came to inform you that Ashei is wanting to leave," he paused frowning slightly. "She seems quite irritable today."

Link laughed. "Yeah I noticed that too. Oh well I guess we had better head off then, wouldn't want to get on her bad side now would we?" he said with a wink.

The group walked along the small path next to the rushing river. Link and Auru lead from the front, followed by Sheik and Shad while Ashei brought up the back.

"It shouldn't be too much farther." Link called back to them. "After we pass the canoe rental and fishery it's only a few more minutes."

Everyone nodded but kept their eyes on the ground so they wouldn't trip. The only ones who didn't seem bothered by the uneven ground were Link and Sheik. Sheik seemed more interested in looking at the scenery as opposed to the road ahead. Shad had been talking almost nonstop during the trek until Ashei told him to shut up. Now Shad was absolutely silent for fear of what Ashei would do to him if he spoke. After about twenty minutes of walking they came to the cave that lead to the throne room. Link looked at the path.

"We're going to have to go singlefile for the rest of the way." he told them.

They barely indicated they had heard but simply rearranged themselves to accommodate the smaller conditions. As the cave opened out into the light Auru, Shad and Ashei all stopped dead in their tracks to gawked at the beauty of the Zora's domain. Link smiled to himself. Every time he came to visit he was always amazed at unique architecture and interesting setting of the waterfalls. From one of his earlier discussions with Prince Ralis he had found out that a few years back the Zoras had discovered a way to pump the water back up to the throne room from the river and along the way clean it as it went. Link hoped that later he might also be able to build something like that for Hyrule castle. After letting everyone look around for a while longer Link gently shook them out of their daze by saying,

"The throne room is this way." As he said this he pointed the direction they were heading. They met a few Zoras on the way but most were in the lower level of the domain. As they neared Prince Ralis' throne Link bowed low to the ground as was the custom. The others imitated him.

"Link! Welcome, I had hoped to see you today." Ralis greeted him

"We apologize for the delay we were held up." He responded with another bow.

"Please Link, you needn't to be so formal, we're friends and honestly I'm not overly fond of all the formality that comes with being a ruler." the young prince told him with a wiry smile.

Link grinned and with an overly dramatic bow said with a thick ceremonial accent. "Whatever your highness commands."

Ralis laughed happily. "Oh Link, you always have a way to make me feel better." he sighed contently. "How is Ilia?" He asked suddenly. "I've received her letters, and I'm very happy to hear that she got home safe."

"Yes she's doing well, she speaks of you often." Link assured him

"How nice, if there is ever anything I can do for her, or for you for that matter, please don't hesitate to tell me. It's the least I can do."

"I'll be sure to pass you message on to her." Link promised

"Thank you, I would be most grateful. All the same, I do wish you would visit more often. Palace life becomes awfully boring without you around to light things up."

Link rubbed the back of his neck and apologized.

With a wave of his hand he replied "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you busy; which is also why we should get down to business so as not to delay you and your group any further," he said as he folded his hands over his lap and was suddenly back in his formal princely state.

"We had a visit of a very unusual sort; he says that he's from a town across the border in the province of Norachre, and he has been causing us a great deal of trouble." Ralis told him.

"What kind of trouble?" Link asked

The young Zora considered that for a moment then said. "I think it's easier if you just meet him." he gestured to the Zora on his left and he went off to get the man.

"I do apologize in advance for his mannerisms, I don't believe I've ever met anyone as strange as he is." he lean forward to whisper "I don't think he is completely right up here." he said as he tapped his head.

"I understand, but how can I help?" Link asked

"Well he has been hanging around here asking nonstop to see princess Zelda, and I honestly don't know what to do with him. He's becoming quite a headache." Ralis said as he rubbed the sides of his head.

"And what would you like me to do with him?" Link asked slight frown

The prince simply sighed.

"I don't have any idea. But you were the only one I could think of that might be able to help." Ralis sighed again and after resting his elbow on the throne arms, he propped his head in the palm of his hand.

"Well I'd be more than willing to help in any way that I can" Link reassured him.

Prince Ralis smiled gratefully then quickly righted himself when they heard the guard returning.

In the distance they heard someone chattering away.

"But I just don't see how you did it; does it have to do with those masks that you wear? Or the earrings, is it the earrings? There must be something..."

The entire time the guard was walking back the man who was with him was asking questions or muttering to himself. As he got closer Link saw that he was quite old yet his mannerisms indicated that he was still very sprightly. His head was bald but he had large white bushy eyebrows and a white beard that reached down to his knees. He wore a long blue gray robe that reached to just about an inch above the ground in the front but trailed for a bit behind him. Under his robe he wore a pair of worn brown walking shoes that curled up at his toes.

"Link, I would like you to meet Arnold, the man I was telling you about."

Arnold glanced at Link briefly but then began talking animatedly to Prince Ralis.

"Oh your highness, have you finally decided to tell me the secrets of how you and your people breathe underwater?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Because that boy you sent to get me was of no help at all." he put his hands on his hips indignantly as he frowned at the guard. The guard just responded with a roll of his eyes.

Ralis glanced at Link and whispered with an apologetic expression. "He's an arcanist." Then he turned back to the man.

"Master Arnold, as I have informed you repeatedly there are no magical properties associated with us or the objects we carry that allow us to breath under water. It's simply how we are made, we're born with it." Ralis told him with a shake of his head.

"That is preposterous," he responded with a humph. "There must be! Things like that don't just happen."

"Well they do." the prince said shutting off any further conversation. "Now, I would like you to tell Link what you told me when you first arrived here."

"Fine, if you're going to be that way about it," Arnold said as he crossed his arms. "Link was it?" he said turning to face him. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Mervin Arnold Fabian the first, arcanist extraordinaire." he said with almost as dramatic a bow as Link had done earlier but he was being completely serious about it.

"Mervin? Don't you mean Merlin?" Ashei asked from behind Link.

"No! My name is not Merlin! Why does everyone ask me that?!" The arcanist said grabbing his head with both hands and shaking it back and forth. "There is no rule saying that all arcanists MUST be named Merlin! We have other names you know!"

"Whoa, sorry I didn't realize that it was such a big deal." she said put up her hands in a surrendering motion.

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"No, I apologize; I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. It's just an issue that comes up often. Anyway," he said spreading his hands outward. "That's why I go by Arnold instead, it causes less confusion."

Link glanced at Ralis but he just shrugged in such a way to say 'Yes, he's been like this the whole time.'

"But all this is besides the point, you wanted to know what my purpose in being here was don't you." Arnold said engaging their attention once again. "Well the reason is quite simple actually, I want to meet with princess Zelda." he nodded as if he were very pleased with his own explanation.

"Why?" Link asked

"Why? My dear boy to discuss things of course. Magic things, for it is very well known that the princess is well versed in the art of magic; and I believe that a conversion on such subjects would be of great benefit to us both." he said as he stroked his beard.

Link looked behind him to Sheik. 'Do you know what he's talking about?' he asked silently. Sheik shrugged his shoulders; then after a few seconds his eyes widened and he pointed at the back of his left hand.

'The power of the goddess? That's what he's talking about?' Link thought in disbelief. 'Well no wonder he hasn't been able to talk to her about it, Zelda doesn't talk to anyone about her powers.' Link thought to himself.

"So, are you going to be the one who finally allows me to meet with her or are you just the next irritating babysitter?" the arcanist asked Link

"Well I'm not able to speak for Zelda but if she hasn't agreed to meet with you I'm sure she has her reasons." He answered carefully

"Hmm, what you say is reasonable, I suppose." he stroked his beard some more. "In fact, you speak as if you know the princess very well." Arnold said leaning in to peer at Link closer.

Link blushed then quickly coughed to disguise the fact that he was embarrassed. "I'm not sure if I know her 'very well' but we have spoken in the past."

'Isn't that the understatement of the year' he thought to himself. 'But really, I don't think it's any of this person's business to know what my relationship is with Zelda.'

"I see." Arnold hummed somewhat disappointedly.

"I believe that the relationship between Link and the princess is irrelevant to our discussion Master Arnold, and I would really not want to delay our visitors from their quest any longer than is needed." Prince Ralis broke in, trying to bring back some order to the conversation.

"A quest! Oh how interesting!" he broke in excitedly. "And what does this mission of yours involve?" he asked with genuine interest.

Link hesitated to answer but then thought why not, it won't hurt any to tell him.

"We're going to deal with a dragon problem in the east." he explained

"Ah, is that the one I heard about that's near the border of Norachre? Big one that is, you think your lot is up to it?" he asked skeptically

"I have confidence the five of us will be able to deal with it." Link told him with a smile and a glance back at the rest of the group.

"Oh I mean no disrespect I was just curious, seeing as none of you seem to have any magical properties about you. Unless I am mistaken?" his words were harmless enough but Link felt his eyes carefully searching over the group.

"No, I don't believe that you are mistaken," Link said with a wary expression.

"Ah well, those are discussions for another time," he said as he leaned on his wooden staff

Link blinked in surprise. 'He didn't have that before did he?'

Arnold noticed him looking at the staff and grinned mysteriously.

"Now you must tell me, how did three knights, a Sheikah and a scholar get assigned a quest as dangerous as this?" He asked with a small smile

Link frowned again, unsettled by the fact that he seemed to be able to pick apart each individual at will.

"We were asked if we would do it." Link answered

"By whom?" the man inquired further

He clenched his teeth and answered.

"By princess Zelda."

The arcanist's eyes brightened considerably at this. "Ah what a coincidence." he said though his eyes spoke volumes more. "Well then, the solution is obvious, I will accompany you on your quest then return with you to meet with princess Zelda."

"What?! You can't just invite yourself to come along with us like that!" Ashei said coming up next to Link.

"I'm afraid I don't understand, what do you mean?" Arnold asked with fake innocence. Or at least Link hoped it was fake.

"What she means is that we are unsure if it's the best course of action for you to accompany us." Link interjected tactfully

"Oh! Well you don't have to worry about me my dear, I may not look it but I'm quite capable of taking care of myself." he beamed

"Thats n-" Link began to say

"Now enough talk I will go collect together my things and we'll be off!" Arnold then waltzed off in the other direction.

"Wait-" Link called after him but he had already left.

He slumped in defeat. The grimaced when he saw Ashei glaring at him.

"Nice move genius, now he's coming with us." she said a scowl

"Well what was I supposed to do?" he shot back.

"Not let him come along obviously!" She said throwing her hands up in the air.

"I'm truly sorry about the way this has turned out." Ralis said sadly, "I didn't realize that he would impose himself on you like that."

"It's not your fault; you had no way of knowing that he would act like that." Link reassured him

"And that applies to you too Link. So don't beat yourself up about it." Auru said coming up next to Rails' throne. "So instead of thinking about what happened, let's decide what we should do next."

Link nodded and smiled ruefully.

"So what are we going to do with him?" he asked

"Ditch him?" Ashei said hopefully

"That sounds so mean, how about we say 'leaving him somewhere accidentally'?"

"Well it amounts to the same thing so why not say it as it is?" she asked crossing her arms.

"Fine," Link said resignedly. "So where are we going to 'ditch' him, it can't be here, I wouldn't do that to Ralis."

"Hyrule maybe?" Auru suggested

"No, then he would be able to go cause trouble for the princess without any of us to help her." Link said frowning.

"What about leaving him with the shaman in Kakariko village?" Auru asked

Link considered the thought for a moment. It would make sense; after all he would be well cared for, plus the Gorons could keep him from any real trouble. He sighed; he hated the thought of ditching anyone, given his protective personality.

"Well I guess that's the best solution, at least there Renado will be able to keep him under control." he said with a shrug. He then looked around curiously for Shad.

"Hey, where did Shad go?" he asked

Everyone else looked around too, Ralis then pointed

"I think he went over there, near the new shop."

"New shop?" Ashei asked curiously

"Yes, one of your friends," he indicated to Link. "The small one that opened the shop in Kakariko, he also came to install a place of business here." he smiled to himself. "To be completely honest I'm not sure how he got up to our village, but it seems that he is willing to do anything to make a profit."

Link nodded understandingly.

"It's true, he's even got a shop going in Ordon." he replied. "Well I suppose I should go have a look at this new shop, Malo would be very disappointed if I didn't."

As they walked along the outside rim of the throne room they met up with a few other Zoras who Link greeted with the customary greeting. As Auru and Ashei followed along behind they asked how he knew all the formalities that were associated with the Zora culture.

"I've spent a lot of time here over the past year or so. They're culture makes them easy to get along with, so I like visiting. I guess the customs just rubbed off on me." he told them with a smile and a shrug

As they continued walking the sound of the shop music got louder and louder. They rounded the corner into the new Malo shop. The room glowed with a wide variety of colors and lights. As Link looked around he saw one other human along with the two Zoras, one that was leaning the counter while the other was stocking the shelves. The human was performing the ridiculous dance that had become so popular after the opening of the shop in Hyrule.

"Welcome!" he crowed as he caught sight of them. "You're smart if you shop at Malo Mart!" he told them with a forced smile. As they got closer he leaned in and said.

"Ugh, I'm getting so tired of dancing! Malo brought me up here to dance in place of these Zoras. I guess they refused to sing and dance."

Link smirked inwardly. Only Malo would pay someone to dance at his shop he thought, then said aloud. "Is Malo here?"

"*huff, puff* yeah he's here, he just went in the back with a kid with floppy red hair and glasses, I didn't catch what they were talking about though." The man said between breaths

"Oh, that must have been Shad." Link said half to himself

He turned back to the others.

"I guess we might as well look at what the shop has to offer, seeing as Shad might be a while." He said a small shrug

Ashei and Auru nodded and began to look at the different products. Link wandered over to the Zora that lounge behind the counter.

"Link! Good to see you. It's been a while." The Zora greeted him

"Aqura, you're looking well." Link replied politely

"You don't come to visit me very much anymore." She said coyly

Link cleared his throat. "I have had other things on my mind lately." He said somewhat pointedly

The female Zora laughed musically. "Well I guess I'll have to let it go this time then, though," she said after a moment, "I do miss our diving competitions." a small smile played at the corner of her mouth.

"You mean you miss being able to beat me every time." Link said also smiling

"Well that too." She agreed, widely grinning now. Aqura leaned forward on the counter and looked up at him

"So I assume you came over here for some other reason than just to chat with me?" She said raising one eyebrow.

Link rubbed the back of his neck nervously

"Kinda." He said not meeting her eyes

Aqura laughed again.

"Oh fine, I guess I better do my job then." She said in a playful tone.

She straightened and gesture to the objects behind her.

"Malo just released a new line of products, so you're just in time." She told him conversationally

"And do they have a crazy 'new release' price tag attached to them?" Link asked as he leaned forward to get a better look at the items.

Aqura made a show of freight shock.

"Of course not! Malo Mart would never stoop to making our wonderful customers pay more than is absolutely necessary for our amazing products."

Link chuckled.

"I can see why you were picked for this job." He said smiling openly.

Aqura began to respond when Ashei came up behind Link.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you smile so much at one time." Ashei said with a teasing punch on his shoulder.

"Ah, one of your friends Link?" Aqura asked with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Oh, yeah Aqura, Ashei. Ashei, Aqura." Link introduced

"Hey." Ashei greeted

"Please to make your acquaintance" Aqura answered coolly

Link frowned slightly in surprise at the Zora's response. From the look on her face it was clear that, somehow, the change of attitude was directed at him. But for the life of him, Link couldn't figure out what it meant.

"So did you find anything you might want to buy?" Ashei asked breaking the awkward silence.

"Not yet." Link responded, "You?"

She shrugged and pulled out a bottle. "Just a potion refill and a dagger."

"A dagger? I didn't know that Malo sold those." Link said with a slight frown.

"They must be new then." Aqura told him

Ashei rolled her eyes

"I special order these dummy, Malo can't make these available to everyone." Ashei snorted condescendingly

Link simply shrugged off her attitude and continued looking at the items behind the counter.

"Why don't you get that weird mask?" She asked pointing at one of the things in the shelf

Link smirked and began to answer when Aqura cut in.

"It's not just a mask, it's called a hawk eye mask, it's to help you see farther when you're shooting arrows." She told Ashei in almost as condescending an attitude as Ashei had used earlier. "And besides Link already has one, don't you Link." She finished

Link glanced worriedly between the two. The looks they were giving each other made were so severe it seemed like there was electricity shooting between them. Link quickly tried to figure out what he could do to calm the situation when he heard voices from behind where Aqura was standing.

"I'm telling you it's a great potential business!" He identified Shad's voice.

"Too specialized." Malo replied with a tone of finality. "My business is for large groups of people. I'd waste more money than I'd gain for the small group of customers that would use the service."

Shad's eyebrows furrowed in contained frustration.

"What if," he suggested suddenly, "there was already a business set that you could just add this service to?"

"Well that would change things but unless you know of a place I doubt there's any reason for us to continue this conversation." He replied callously but with a slight note of interest in his eye.

"Oh but there is, down by Lake Hylia there's a man who owns a shop where he sells canon rides and canon repairs, you could buy his company then add your part to it." Shad told him

"Really? I suppose it's worth looking into but I don't see why people would be interested in being shot out of a cannon in the first place." He said crossing his short arms across his chest.

"You never know until you try." Shad pointed out

"Fine." Malo said resignedly "I'll consider it if you really think so highly of it."

"You won't regret it I promise!" Shad replied eagerly

Malo turned away from Shad and seemed to notice the others for the first time.

"Hello Link, welcome to my humble shop. Now I assume you're here to buy something." Malo said in his typical style of greeting.

Link smiled and replied "Well what would you recommend?"

"I'm glad you asked, I actually just got something in that I think would be well suited to you." He said with a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

He pointed at the Zora restocking the shelves.

"Hey, go get the item on reserve from the back." He said rudely.

The Zora unbent and stared at Malo with a look of 'you've got to be kidding me' but then just rolled his eyes and went into the back.

A few seconds later he returned with a large rectangular object with a cloth covering it. Malo took it from the Zora and handed it to Link. He uncovered it and looked at the item in surprise. It was a shield, that much he could tell, but there was a strange bulky device on the front of it. He looked at Malo for some explanation.

"It's a shield, although you'd have to be pretty stupid to miss that." He said rolling his eyes. "This thing on the front of it is an embedded portable cannon, like the one that your friend has." He said flicking his eyes at Auru.

Link appraised the weapon with great interest. Being a mix of defence and offence the shield weight a bit more than he was expecting, but that was of little concern, the benefits being far superior. He was already beginning to think of ways to use it when he looked back warily at Malo.

"How much?" Link asked with a small grimace at the thought of the answer.

Malo pretended to consider it though Link knew that he had decided the price long before. "Well, since we're friends I suppose I could lower the price." He dallied, but with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "How about we say 750 rupees."

Link sighed and began digging around in his pockets to delve deep into his wallet. Just then Ashei put her hand up in protest. "750 rupees?! Are you kidding? If that's the discount price, I'd hate to see what the normal price would be." She said indignantly

"I believe that this was a discussion between Link and I, and if you're not the one buying I don't see why this should be of interest to you." Malo said this harshly but Link could tell he wasn't trying to make Ashei stop talking; rather it seemed that he was trying to make her speak more. 'It will work too.' Link thought, pausing in looking for the funds and watching how the encounter would play out.

"Not of interest to me?" She answered angrily, putting her hands and her hips and leaning down so she was closer to Malo's height. "This is daylight robbery. 500 rupees." She countered

Malo didn't seem at all intimidated by Ashei word or actions; rather he let a smirk crawl its way onto his face.

"700."

"520."

"690."

"550."

"660."

"570 and that's my final offer." Ashei told him forcefully.

Link noticed that he had unconsciously been holding his breath, being so wrapped up in the bartering of the two. Even now he could feel the tension growing thicker by the second along with the subtle spark flying between Ashei and Malo.

Malo eyed her to see if she was going to stand by that offer. Then his expression lightened and he answered.

"Fine 570... Just because you're a regular customer, so I want you to come back." He smirked and turned to Link. "I see, your girlfriend wears the pants in your relationship. You should be so grateful to her."

Link blushed darkly and quickly told him that Ashei wasn't his girlfriend.

Malo pretended he hadn't heard him and just continued.

"I wonder what Ilia would say, although I must say she really never had a chance against this one." his smirk growing even wider.

"Malo don't you dare." Link told him as firmly as he could given his flustered state. "You know that there's nothing going on between Ilia and I or Ashei and I so just knock it off." Link finished trying to will his blush to go away.

Then Ashei came up behind him and put her arm around his neck in a joking headlock.

"It's ok Link darling, you can tell him about us, I don't mind" she said in a mocking sing-song voice

"You knock it off too." He told her seriously, but at the same time was trying to hold in a laugh.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about silly." She replied in the same sickeningly sweet tone

Link sighed, rolling his eyes. He looked over to Auru and Shad for help but they were both doubled over with laughter.

Malo was the one to eventually break them up saying. "Enough of this foolishness, I have a business to run and you carrying on like this is bad for scaring away customers." His demeanour all business once again.

Ashei released Link and gave him a noogie before going back over to over to be with Auru and Shad. Link turned back to Malo

"Thank you for the shield I'll make good use of it." He then put the shield in to his bottomless pocket and smiled at Malo

Malo returned the look with a thoughtful one of his own.

"If only I could figure out how that works, I would be able to make myself richer than I already am." He mused to himself, referring to Link's pocket.

Link chuckled. "You sound a bit like Arnold." He told him.

Malo look up at him, confused.

"Arnold is a arcanist that will be accompanying us for a short time." He explained.

Malo simply shook his head. "You did always keep strange company." He said rolling his eyes.

"I suppose." He answered nonchalantly; he glanced over to the rest of the group. Trying to see what they must look like to others. 'A knight, a scholar, a arcanist, a Sheikah, and himself, yeah definitely a strange group.' He thought to himself with a small smile.

He stopped himself and made himself do a double check, thinking his eyes had tricked him somehow. Nope. He had been right the first time. Sheik had disappeared again. Link sighed, then turned to Malo to excuse himself but found that he was over discussing things with Aqura at the counter.

Walking over to Shad and Auru he asked them if they had seen Sheik. Neither had, but Auru assured him that Sheik seemed more than capable to take care of himself.

"Oh I'm sure he can," he agreed quickly. "I just thought we might want to head out soon so..." He let them fill in the blank. Link felt if the person he was speaking to could figure out what he was going to say anyway, there was no point in talking more than necessary.

They both nodded and Shad said "I'll go tell Ashei." He volunteered; he then walked over to where Ashei was talking to Aqura again. And from the look of Aqura's face, Ashei was teasing her again.

"I guess that leaves me with the crazy arcanist." Auru said with a wide smile. "Have fun finding the evasive little sucker." He said referring to Sheik, then walked out of the shop whistling to himself.

Link followed soon after, deciding to head toward the throne room. After changing into his Zora outfit as he walked he dived into the warm water. After letting himself adjust to change he began to swim towards the waterfall. With only a few Zora's around Link let a wide smile cross his face as an interesting idea began to form.


	9. Canoes and Cannons

Chapter 9

Zora's are not very curious creatures by nature, but the latest visitors to their domain has caused even the most indifferent to take another look. The latest object of their interest was the unusual conversation had been taking place between their young prince and a member of the royal guardians.

Link arrived at the throne room, thoroughly out of breath. After flopping down on the blue gray stone surrounding the water in the centre of the room Link forced himself upright to begin changing back into his regular green tunic. As he finished settling his trademark hat on his head, he began to hear distorted sounds of voiced echoing off the walls and water. Paying them little attention, he got up and started walking towards prince Rails' throne. As he got closer the voices became slightly clearer and he began to identify that there were only two speakers and not the group that he had initially assumed. As the throne came in sight he identified the two speakers as the prince and Sheik. Though the echo of the walls still made it difficult for him to understand what was being said, but he managed to pick out a few broken words here and there.

"... Are you sure...idea?...Zelda...concern..."

Not wanting to hear too much more of what was clearly a private conversation Link hurried his pace so as to alert Sheik and Ralis of his presence.

Prince Ralis was the first to notice Link. He quickly broke off mid-sentence and greeted him.

"Link, I was just having an interesting conversation with your friend here." He said waving a shaky hand toward Sheik. "Of course you could probably already tell that couldn't you." He amended, laughing nervously. Link looked at the prince questioningly before noticing that the young Zora was frightfully pale. He kept glancing uneasily as Sheik as if trying to tell him something without drawing too much attention. Sheik on the other hand looked as impassive as ever and was staring stubbornly at Link as if refusing to meet Rails' eye.

Link frowned slightly and said

"I don't want to interrupt, I could come back later if you would prefer." He offered mildly.

"No, no it's fine. We were basically finished anyway." Ralis assured him. His colour had begun to return and it looked like he was getting his emotions back under control.

"So," he continued. "Did you find your funny friend with the glasses?" Ralis asked smiling.

Link returned the smile and told him that they had found Shad in Malo's shop.

"That's good. So I guess you will be heading out then."

Link glanced toward Sheik. "As soon as we get everyone together, we'll be leaving." He said with a sad smile. "I am sorry to be leaving so soon -" he began to say when Ralis cut him off.

"Don't be sorry, I understand completely. But I do have something for you before you leave." The prince signalled to another one of his guards.

"It will be here in a few minutes," he said gesturing to the direction the guard left. "But now you must tell me how did you get up to the throne room so quickly? I didn't see any escorts and most of the time you arrive from the other direction."

"I had a theory that I've wanted to test for some time now after observing your people." Link answered with a pleased smile. Ralis raised one eyebrow but didn't interrupt. "I decided to try coming up here by the waterfall."

"What? On your own?" Ralis said incredulously

Link smiled and nodded.

"But it takes years, for a Zora, to become strong enough to climb a waterfall. You don't even have fins! How did you ever manage that?" The Zora asked in disbelief

"Well it definitely wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but after your escort at the bottom told me a few tricks I managed." He said, then after a bit more though added. "And the Zora outfit helped of course."

Ralis blink a few times then righted himself again.

"Of course..." He murmured half to himself. "Well, I guess this will save you some time in the future then." He said smiling.

"I don't know, it was very tiring, I think I'll leave that to your escort next time." Link laughed

Ralis joined in laughing and even Sheik looked like he was smiling. Link's ears perked as he heard the guard returning. He turned to look at him just as the Zora turned the corner. In its hands there was a thin rectangular box covered with what looked like fogged glass.

"Ah thank you." Ralis said as the guard handed the box to him. The prince then winced slightly and quickly set the box on the armrest next to him.

Link looked at his friend with some concern. Ralis noticed his face and said

"I'm fine it's just very cold." As he rubbed his hands together to warm up he began to explain.

"You are friends with the snow beasts that live up the mountain, is that correct?" He asked

Link nodded, curious where this was leading.

"Some time ago Yeto, I believe that's what he is called, came to us with a handful of your arrows saying that you had lost these and that he wanted to return them. But since you weren't here we took them to give to you later. The beast clearly wasn't very careful when he was pulling them out because they still had chunks of ice around the tip. Anyway, I asked a few of my people to remove the ice so you would be able to use them when you returned. However, when they examined them closer they realized that the ice could be a help, not a hindrance. They discovered that if one were to slightly change some properties of the arrows themselves, it would give them the ability to freeze things that they come in contact with."

As the prince was saying these things he began to open the fogged box, revealing one of Link's arrows with a chunk of ice around the arrowhead. The strange thing about the ice was that it was continuously circling the head of the arrow.

Ralis handed the arrow to Link. As Link took the arrow in his hands the familiar melody played and the arrow hovered a couple of inches above his leather gauntlets. As the arrow dropped back into his hands he realized what Ralis had been referring to earlier. Any part of his hand that wasn't covered immediately began to freeze so cold it felt like there were a million daggers piercing his skin. Link quickly adjusted the arrow so he would just be holding the wooden part. He frowned a bit as an idea started to crawl its way into his mind. Taking another one of his arrows out of his pack he touched the two points together. The regular arrow's tip froze up like the first. Tucking that small piece of information away to use later, Link put both arrows back into his pockets. He turned to thank Ralis, but found the young prince looking warily at Sheik once again.

The awkward silence was broken by the sounds of Auru and Arnold nearing the throne room. 'Well more the sounds of Arnold, seeing as Auru doesn't seem to be talking much' Link thought to himself with a shake of his head. They came from the opposite direction from the one Link had taken so he had to look past Sheik to see them. As they rounded the corner Link had to put a hand to his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Both Arnold and Auru were sopping wet from head to toe and from the scowl that Auru was pointing at Arnold, Link gathered that, somehow, their being wet was his fault.

Arnold was rambling on about something but from the look of things, no one was really paying attention to anything he was saying.

"What happened?" Sheik finally asked

"What happened is that genius here," Auru said jerking a finger at Arnold. "Decided that he had figured out how to breathe underwater like the Zora folk so he wanted to try it out right away."

"I do think I was on the right track at least," Arnold put in. "I needed to test it that's all. Now that I know, I can look into it a bit more and get it right next time." He finished, crossing his arms and pouting like a sulky child.

"Yeah, well do when I'm not around next time, because I'm not coming to save your drowning butt, got it?"

Arnold drew himself up to his full height (which was still shorter than Auru by at least a head) and told him "You simply do not understand the importance of testing magically properties. One must test theories at the first available opportunity." He said with a shake of his head. He then turned away so as to clearly indicate that he would have nothing further to say on the subject.

As this conversation was taking place Ashei and Shad walked in behind them. Ashei got one look at Auru and burst into gales of laughter.

"You look like something the cat dragged in." She said between gasps. "What happened?"

Auru looked like he was about to respond then thought better of it.

"Oh it doesn't matter." He answered irritably, his shoulders sagging to show that he had given up on the whole thing.

Shad on the other hand hadn't even seen Auru or Arnold, his face in one of his notebooks, writing furiously. About what Link could only guess. He had been about to walk right into Arnold when Ashei grabbed the back of his collar, yanking himself up short.

He looked around in surprise.

"Oh." He said as he looked around, as if just realizing where he was. He then noticed everyone looking at him, he smiled good-naturedly and said "Hey Link, you'll never guess what that Zora lady at the shop gave me." He said grinning with blissful delight

Link didn't get a chance to respond before Shad continued.

"She gave me this silver scale." He said, bringing it out to show him. "Apparently if I wear it I'll be able to breathe underwater for a bit longer than most people." Shad handed the scale to Link. "She gave it to me because she said I looked accident prone, so she didn't want me to drown." He frowned a little.

"Do I really look accident prone?" He asked as Link returned the scale to him

Link looked to the side, debating how to answer. He brought up his hand to make the gesture to indicate 'a little bit' and shrugged with a small sympathetic smile. Shad looked slightly disappointed but quickly shook it off and began looking intently at the scale once again. Just then Arnold popped up behind Shad leaned over trying to get a better look.

"Breathe underwater? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Arnold then tried to grab at the scale from over Shad's shoulder. "Gimme, gimme!" He said as he tried to get at the scale. Shad was now holding the scale at arm's length away from Arnold's eager hands.

"No! Get off of me!" Shad said indignantly.

"Gimme! Gimme!" Arnold cried as he switched to the other side to try and get at the scale.

"Stop it!" Shad told him as he moved the scale to safety again.

Link looked on at this charade with great confusion. He wanted to help Shad but he felt glued to his spot unable to think of a way to help.

Sheik on the other hand wasn't as hesitant. He pushed Arnold to the side and stood between him and Shad his fingers not far from his needle daggers.

"Enough." He said firmly

Link looked at him in surprise. Not only did Sheik not usually put himself in a situation where there would be a lot of focus on him, but he also had been avoiding Arnold, as if he wasn't comfortable being around him.

Arnold looked furious; he drew himself up his eyes gleaming. He started to raise his hand as if to reach for some unseen object but then, just as quickly, sunk back down, his face turning to one like that of a scolded child.

"But I need it." He whimpered in a pathetic tone

"It's not yours to take." Sheik answered just as firmly

Arnold looked at his shoes, twiddling the sleeves of his robe around in his fingers.

"Sorry." He muttered

"Don't say that to me." Sheik said, he then stepped aside so as to indicate that he should be apologizing to Shad. Arnold glanced up at Shad and sighed. He stood up straight and looked Shad in the eye.

"I apologize, master Shad, will you please forgive me?" He asked with what appeared to be complete sincerity.

Shad glanced around, as if unsure how to respond to the old man's request. He cleared his throat and said

"I forgive you, just don't do it again." He finished somewhat uncertainty.

Arnold beamed at him, then bowed extravagantly

"Thank you." he said simply. He then turned to address the rest of the group

"I have made the necessary preparations; including gathering my belongings so we are free to leave whenever would be convenient." He told then with a sweeping gesture to his two oddly shaped bags that were near Auru's feet.

Link cleared his throat and said. "Well then, perhaps we should be leaving now."

"That's the best idea you've had all day." Ashei teased. She then turned and started walking down the path they had taken to get there. She glanced back.

"What wrong with you guys? We're burning daylight come on!"

"Whatever the lady commands." Auru replied sarcastically and began to follow.

Shad ran after the two of them to catch up, all the while keeping a watchful eye on Arnold.

At that time though Arnold was fighting with his strange shaped bags. He would lift one successfully then trip over the other causing both him and the bag to tumble to the ground. Sheik and Link watched this go on for a few minutes until Arnold finally growled his frustration and made a coil of energy pulse out of both hands. He caused the coils to wrap themselves around the bags and hoist them into the air where they stayed suspended. With a satisfied humph he turned and pulled the bags after him by their magical leashes. As he walked he began to hum a cheerful tune to himself.

Link sighed in relief and said to Sheik "Finally, I was beginning to think I would have to carry those bags for him."

Sheik scoffed "You're too soft. I would have just left him." He replied with, what looked like a crooked smile under his cowl.

Link snickered in return. "I guess."

Sheik rolled his eyes. As he walked passed he patted him on the shoulder

"But... I guess that's not always a bad thing. Come on Ashei's right, we're burning daylight." Sheik said as he continued where the rest had already left.

Link smiled and turned to Ralis.

"Thank you... For everything." He said bowing.

"Not at all," the prince replied. "I wish you well on your journey. Though..." He paused and looked the direction the others had already left. "If what I've seen is any indication of what lays ahead, I don't envy your position." He said with a sympathetic smile.

Link also looked along the path.

"Well, what's the worst that could happen?" He asked lightheartedly.

Ralis pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Please don't say that, it increases the chances that those worse things will happen." He said pleadingly.

Link laughed. "Whatever you say your majesty." He said fondly.

After saying his final goodbyes to the young prince Link began to follow after the other members of his funny little group.

They reached the canoe retail shop early afternoon. Link was once again forced to be the talkative one being as he was the only one who knew the owner of the shop.

"Ah! My loyal customer! Wonderful to have you back!" Iza said with a wide smile, her hair quivering slightly from her movement.

"Hello," Link greeted

"Well I guess I should be honest, your kind of my only customer." She continued on somewhat glumly. "But that's beside the point! I should be happy it looks like you've brought some friends, and it just wouldn't do to keep them waiting." She said all enthusiastic once again.

"So, how many canoes will you be needing?"

"3, two people in each." He responded.

"That's enough for a race!" She said excitedly. "Would you like to?"

"A race?" Link asked hesitantly, looking at the others to see what they wanted to do.

"It's only 20 extra rupees, and it's a lot of fun." Iza pushed.

"Is there a prize?" Ashei asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Hmm," The shop owner made as show of considering it, swaying slightly as she did. "Maybe there is... maybe there isn't ..." She said spreading her hands out in front of her, and shrugging. "So, you in?"

Ashei shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Link and Auru nodded, Sheik and Arnold were looking elsewhere, but neither looked opposed to the idea. Shad looked slightly pale and looked like he was going to object but Ashei cut him off.

"You'll be fine." She said rolling her eyes. "Beside even if you do fall out you have that weird scale thing, you'll be fine." she told him again.

Shad nodded shakily, but his pale disposition hadn't improved much.

"Wonderful!" Iza said happily. "So you and that boy will be in one." She said pointing at Ashei and Shad. "The two gentlemen in the next." She continued pointing at Auru and Arnold. "And that leaves you boys in the last." She finished pointing at Link and Sheik. "Great!" She said without giving anyone the chance to object. "I'll go get them set up." She then scurried off. Each of them looked at each other then reluctantly followed. Within a few minutes all three pairs were seated in each of their respective canoes.

"Now the rules are simple." Iza said from the deck. "Whichever pair scores the most points, wins. You collect points by avoiding hitting any objects, and hitting the balloons I've set up. So you have to decide who will be rowing and who will be shooting."

Link offered to row, which Sheik accepted. Ashei loudly pronounced that she would be shooting and that Shad would be in a bad way if he knocked into anything. Arnold suggested that it would be for the best if Auru were to row.

"I simply don't believe I have the strength for it." He said. "Although I also hope you won't expect me to hit too many targets either seeing as it is that it's been many years since I've shot a bow and arrow."

"Not a problem," Auru responded. "I think these youngsters are more interested in this race anyway, so we'll let them duke it out." He said with a wink

"Alright if you're all ready?" Iza said. "Then on your marks... Get set... GO!"

The start for the race was rather simple as there were no targets or obstacle to distract, it gave the drivers the opportunity to get more or less accustomed to controlling the canoe.

Shad of course had the most difficulty of the three and had managed to spin them a full 180 at least twice. As the first obstacles came into view Ashei began to yell instructions to Shad in some attempt for them to avoid the inevitable crashes. He ended up hitting into 3 of the 5 but also managed to avoid spinning the canoe at all. Link hit into one of the obstacles when he had been distracted by Ashei and Shad's bickering. Auru on the other hand passed through flawlessly. And as they passed the other two Arnold gave a phoney regal wave, as if he were some kind of royalty in a parade. Link could feel Sheik shift into position as the first three targets came into view. Sheik carefully lined up a perfect shot and popped the smallest balloon scoring them a nice 150 points. Ashei shot next, hitting the wall about 10 inches from the second biggest. After much cursing she readied herself for the next shot. Arnold rather comically trying to figure out how to shoot his bow and after becoming thoroughly frustrated threw his hands up muttering something causing the bow and arrow to begin to hover very similarly to when he had been trying to pick up his bags. He moved his hands again and the bow began to move and with pinpoint accuracy hit the largest balloon as they passed under it.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Ashei shouted in protest.

Arnold just responded by sticking his tongue out and wiggling his hands on either side of his head, much like a child taunting a playmate. Link was trying to restrain himself from laughing when he felt Sheik tap him on the shoulder then point in front of the canoe. As Link refocused on the waters ahead he realized that they were about to crash into a large boulder. Taking swift action, he spun the canoe a 180, then kept swivelling to avoid losing any more points. After sighing with relief as they passed the large obstacle Link forced himself to pay more attention. The next set of targets were set up after a series of rapids. Sheik once again readied himself to hit the smallest of the balloons but Ashei was faster. Despite Shad still having difficulty controlling their canoe Ashei managed to line up a next to perfect shoot. Hitting the balloon just slightly off centre she looked at Sheik with a small self-satisfied smirk. Sheik returned the gaze with a slightly flintily one of his own. Then without looking he drew two arrows from his quiver and shot both remaining balloons at the same time, all the while keeping his calm gaze locked on Ashei. After she shook the stunned expressions from her face she granted Sheik a rare impressed expression. The next part of the course was majorly made up of obstacles with a few scattered targets popping up here and there. The majority of the balloons were hit by Sheik and Ashei with a few going to Arnold and his magically enhanced bow. Link managed to avoid most of the rocks blocking their path but still crashed into the odd one. Poor Shad was still hitting two thirds of obstacles whereas Auru breezed through the course with apparent ease, avoiding all of the things set in his way. The course came to an end with a swift drop down the small waterfall leading into Lake Hylia. The unexpected change earned a hi-pitched yelp from Shad and an excited whoop from Arnold.

The six climbed out of their canoes onto the small island just to the left of the waterfall. The Zora that worked at the shop came and collected the three canoes from them.

"Great job by all of you!" They said. "The scores go as follows: 655 points for Link and the Sheikah, earning them first place, 325 points for the two gentlemen, earning them second, and 5 points for the girl and the boy with glasses, coming in last."

Ashei immediately began to protest, mostly out of habit more than actual spite.

"The prize I was instructed to give to you by my employer is thus." The Zora said, completely ignoring Ashei. She held up a compass like device. "It finds water." She said as if that explained everything."

Link reached out to take the device. Then he made it hover so he could view it from all sides with his signature song playing to indicate the arrival of a new item. Sheik crossed his arms.

"One of these days I'm going to find out where that song is playing from." He said half to himself.

"Good luck," Link replied with a chuckle as he stuffed the thing into his pocket. "Midna went looking for it for weeks and still didn't find anything."

"So... Shall we continue?" Auru asked

Link nodded and began to lead them across the small dots of land leading to entrance of the temple of the light spirit Lanayru when Sheik cleared his throat to get their attention. The group turned to see him crouched over the collapsed form of Shad.

"My goodness... Is he dead?" Arnold asked with idle curiosity

"No just overextended, we'll have to carry him for a while." Sheik replied hoisting limp Shad over one shoulder

Link again marvelled at Sheik innate capability to surprise him with new skills. Carrying him like it was nothing Sheik passed Link and began to hop from island to island across the water. Each following quickly after and reached the other side in minutes. As they approached the multi-coloured shop Fyer came strolling out to meet them.

"Hey guy, you here for another high-flyin' adventure?" He asked as they got close enough.

"Regular for 6." Link replied

"Got ya, comin' right up." He said laughing softly to himself and wandering back to his shop.

"You know you'll have to go one at a time, and he," he said with a negligent wave of his hand at Shad. "Won't be able to fly like that."

They turned to look at Sheik with Shad still slung over his shoulder. Sheik glanced at him then gently set him down on the ground. He kneeled on the ground next to him putting two fingers on his neck to check his pulse. He then crouched down with his ear near Shad's face.

"Pulse and breathing are normal; he should be coming around soon." Sheik said at the end of his inspection.

Then without another word, and with the exact same calm facade, he picked up his limp form and unceremoniously dropped him into the water.

This received yelps of surprise from all present and Link quickly ran forward to help his friend but Sheik put his hand out to block him from continuing. Before Link had a chance to give Sheik a piece of his mind Shad resurfaced coughing and sputtering but otherwise unhurt. Link and Sheik helped him out of the water where he sat staring unfocused.

"Are you crazy?! You could have killed him!" Link yelled at Sheik

"It woke him up didn't it?" Sheik replied in a flat tone.

"That's not the poin-" he started to say.

"Goodness gracious! Is that what I think it is?!" Shad broke in suddenly.

They looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"That!" He said pointing towards the Sky Cannon. "Bu-but I thought that that was back in Kakariko! How on earth did it get here?"

Link grimaced a bit.

"I'm sorry Shad; I was going to tell you..."

"Wait, are you saying you brought it here?" He asked in disbelief

"I had help." He avoided meeting his eyes

After not hearing a response Link looked back to where Shad had been and found that he had disappeared. He looked around in complete confusion. At last he realized that he was examining the cannon, how he got there so quickly was beyond Link.

"Well I guess he's feeling better." Auru said with a small laugh

"I'll go get him." Ashei said

A moment later she arrived dragging Shad by the collar of his shirt.

"We're not using that cannon! We're using this one!" She told him pointing at Fyer shop

"But- but," Shad whimpered

"I'm truly sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I did promise to take you to the land of the Oocca, just... Later." Link said trying to refocus the scholar. Shad considered this, then sighed

"You're right you did... I guess I got carried away again, anyway since I held us up, I guess I'll go first." He said with a small smile.


	10. The burnt village

The horses were exactly where Telma had said they would be, and it only took them a few minutes to pack everything up so they could be on their way. Since they had picked up an extra passenger Sheik ended up riding with Link leaving Arnold with a horse of his own. Passing through Hyrule on their way to Kakariko was quite uneventful. Idle chatter past among the travellers as they steadily progressed, and they arrived at Kakariko around mid-evening. Renado and Luda came out to greet them along with one other person that Link hadn't been expecting.

"Hi Link!" The girl said as she ran up to meet him

Link stared at her dumbfounded

"Ilia... What are you doing here?" He finally managed to choke out

"I'm visiting Renado and Luda of course!" Ilia answered excitedly. "I guess I had good timing because now I get to see you too!"

He smiled back trying to hide his panic. He quickly looked to his companions for aid but realized too late that that was a mistake. Auru and Ashei simply smirked at his discomfort and Sheik was absolutely emotionless.

"Who are your friends?" She asked

"Um, this is Auru." Link introduced

"Pleasure to meet you Miss." Auru said with a kind smile

Ilia blushed and responded a quiet "Pleased to meet you too."

"You've already met Shad." Link continued

"Hello." Shad responded also smiling

"This is Ashei." he said somewhat falteringly, unsure how Ilia or Ashei would react

"Hey." Ashei said with a knowing smile

"Nice to meet you." Ilia said cold as ice. Her eyes analyzing Ashei very carefully.

Link rolled his eyes then went on.

"We met Mister Arnold at the Zora's domain, and for various reasons he is now accompanying us."

Arnold tried to bow in greeting causing him to almost fall off his horse.

"And last but not least this is Sheik, of the Sheikah tribe." He said moving slightly so Ilia could see Sheik better.

Sheik didn't say anything but just kept his face completely impassive.

"How interesting!" Ilia said clapping her hands together. "A Sheikah? That's so amazing!"

Link raised an eyebrow. 'She probably has no idea what a Sheikah is... why is she acting like this?' he wondered.

"Anyway, we were just going to have dinner so you can tie your horses over there and come on in." Ilia told them, then sauntered off to the shaman's house.

"Is that the girl who took your horse on the day of the meeting?" Sheik asked quietly as they were tying Epona to the rail.

"Yeah," Link answered distractedly

"Wow, has she ever got the hots for you eh Link?" Ashei teased as she hooked an arm around Link's shoulder "Did you see the daggers she shot at me? Man!"

"Ashei ... Plea-"

"Relax, I know what you're gonna say. I'll back off this time. Although you might want to look out for her, she's definitely got something up her sleeves... But what it is, don't ask me, I can barely understand a girl's mind and I am one!" She said in exasperation.

Link couldn't help laughing slightly at this and he was still smiling as they entered the shaman's. When Ilia made eye contact with him his smile slowly began to fade and he became acutely aware of Ashei's arm still around his shoulder even though she at that time was conversing with Auru.

"Dinner is ready, please make yourselves comfortable." Renado called to them

"Hey, maybe Sheik could sit next to me... I would love to learn more about the Sheikah, if that would be ok with him." Ilia said suddenly

Sheik looked somewhat confused but just sat next to Ilia without any protest. Everyone else took their place around the large rectangle table that Renado had set up for them. Link ended up sitting next to Renado and Shad. Arnold and Renado were engaged in conversation along with Shad and Auru but Link had a very hard time for focusing on what they were saying. He couldn't stop himself for looking over to the end of the table were Sheik and Ilia were sitting, Sheik by this time still hadn't touched his food, rather he had pushed the plate forward and was simply resting his arms on the table in front of him. Ilia was talking very animatedly about something and Sheik was listening with the same passive expression he adopted whenever he wasn't talking to...

Link paused for a second. It seemed like the only time Sheik had shown other expressions were when he was around Link. Link took a minute longer to think about this information. Quickly running through his memories of the different occasions he had seen Sheik show other emotions, albeit in very small quantities, was when to two of them were alone or when there were only a few others of the Resistance around. This discovery pleased Link seeing as it was his intention from the start to earn Sheik's trust. A few of the group began to stand and make their way to the guest rooms that Renado set aside for them. Link quickly finished his food and made his way to the small kitchen that Renado had off of his main room. Renado smiled warmly as he saw Link come in. Luda was just a little way off drying the dishes that Renado handed to her.

"You're working hard." Link said to Luda.

"Thank you." She answered quietly. "I like to help my father whenever I can."

"That's very kind of you... How about tonight I help your father, so you can sleep. You look tired." Link told her kindly

Luda looked at her father for permission, to which Renado nodded. Luda then hugged her father goodnight. Then after some seconds thought she came back and hugged Link as well.

"Goodnight Link, I hope you sleep well." She said then scurried off to her room.

Link smiled after her, then picked up the towel she had left and began to dry the dishes and put them away.

"That was very kind of you." Renado said after a moment. "She hasn't been sleeping well lately… her mother's anniversary is coming soon.

Link nodded his understanding.

"But enough talk of depressing subjects, how fares your journey so far? Telma sent me a letter informing me of your plans."

"Our progress is slow going but enjoyable, I've been running from one place to another for so long it's nice to go at a slower pace. It's also a welcome change to have people along to chat with on the way." Link reflected thoughtfully

"But?" Renado said looking sideways at him.

"But we have picked up a bit of an unwelcome addition to our party." Link responded hesitantly

"Ah... The wizard I presume?" Renado asked

"Well, he prefers arcanist but yes."

Renado laughed slightly "Link I know what you are going to ask so don't trouble yourself... I will take care of this Arnold until your return. It's the least I can do." He said smiling

"Thank you." Link said very relieved.

The two continued their work in silence, just enjoying one another's company. Once they had finished Renado excused himself and retired to his room. Link decided instead to clear his mind a bit before going to sleep. He quietly slipped out of the house so as not to wake anyone. Once he was outside he looked around, not exactly sure where he wanted to go. After a moment's consideration he decided to Talo's lookout on the top of Barnes' building. He rather enjoyed the climb. The air was cool and crisp with a slight breeze. As he reached the top his ingrained senses told him that he wasn't alone. Moving slowly he rounded the corner of the building he saw that the other person was Sheik. Link lowered his guard and fully came out into the open.

"I thought I heard someone." Sheik said without turning.

"I wasn't expecting to find anyone else out here." Link answered as he seated himself next to the Sheikah.

"Are you alright?" Link asked after a few minutes. "I just noticed that you weren't eating anything at dinner."

"I don't eat in front of others." Sheik said curtly

"Oh." Link answered, unsure how else to respond.

The two sat silently for a while, Link shifted uncomfortably, slightly hurt at Sheik's abrupt answer.

"I'm sorry." Sheik said after quite a time had passed. "You couldn't have known that, and it was rude of me to react the way I did. Thank you for being worried about me but I can take care of myself."

Link listened but remained silent, simply allowing Sheik to say what he wanted to say. After a bit more thought Link asked a question that had been weighing on his mind for some time.

"Why are you coming with us? I mean why would you accept to come along with complete strangers on a quest that has nothing to do with you? There must be a better reason than that Zelda asked you too."

Sheik didn't answer right away, instead he stared out at the soft glow of the moonlight on the Eldin spring.

"The Sheikah are bound by ties as strong as time itself to serve the royal family in whatever they require..." He said softly. "But you are right; I do have reason of my own for joining you Link. However, those reasons are to be brought to light at a different time." Sheik then stood up and turned to look at him over his shoulder. "Don't worry yourself over such things, you have other things to focus on." The boy then leapt off the building. Link calmly glanced over the edge to see Sheik on the ground walking towards the house unscathed. He looked up at Link and gave a small wave before entering the house.

He considered Sheik words. Clearly Sheik didn't trust him as much as he had thought. There was so much about the strange teenage boy that he didn't understand. Link leaned back until he was lying on the roof, staring at the stars. He lay there as time became meaningless to him. At some point he had decide that he wouldn't be returning to the house. Instead he decided to stay beneath the stars like he had so many other times. As he stared into the infinite darkness be began to feel very alone. He longed for Midna's presence so much that it hurt. He wondered what she was doing, was she thinking about him too? With his thoughts drifting around from memory to memory he slowly fell asleep atop the roof in the small village.

Another nightmare. Another waking shock. Link began to wipe the sweat from his forehead when he realized that his entire body was soaked with sweat. He groaned, he felt disgusting. Pushing himself up into a sitting position he looked at the sky. It was getting close to early morning but if he hurried he could bathe before they were supposed to leave. He got to his feet and climbed down a few stories of the building then made his way to the hot springs hidden away in the rocks of the village. Even considering the time he wasn't surprised to see some Gorons lounging in the warm water as well as a couple of Zoras.

"Oh! Brother! Welcome! Come relax in hot spring!" One of the Gorons called to Link as he caught sight of him.

Many of the others grunted similar expressions or simply smiled and gestured for him to join them. Link opted for emerging himself fully clothed at first so as to rid his tunic of its sticky feel. But after soaking for a while he removed his shirt and hat so he could lounge more comfortably. One of the Zoras from the small shop brought him over an energy potion.

"On the house," she said after seating herself next to him. "You look like you could use it."

Link thanked her then began to gulp down the cool liquid. After draining the first half he sighed and leaned back against the smooth rocks. For a few minutes he just sat there enjoying the feeling of the small sparks of energy flowing through his body alongside the warmth of the hot spring that that slowly lapped away the tension making him feel more relaxed than he had in a long time.

"Been long time since you here brother, what has been keeping you?" A Goron asked

Link lazily lifted one eyelid to look at the Goron.

"Mmmm, I've been all over lately; Ordon, visiting Prince Ralis, being shot out of cannons... Oh and I was in castle town for a while too." He listed off. "The shopkeeper and his son sent their regards by the way. But other than that it's been pretty boring." He finished with a smirk

"Ho, very busy then. You visit chief too?" The Goron said after considering what he had said.

Link glanced up towards Death Mountain. "No, not yet. I trust they are doing well though?"

"Hmm, very well, clan is much better now since chief is back to normal." The Goron smiled widely. "So, where you go to next?"

Link closed his eyes again.

"Norachre." He responded quietly.

"Norachre?!" Several of the Gorons and Zoras around him exclaimed

"Bad place."

"Why you go there?"

"But it's so dangerous!"

"Are you crazy?" Several of them said overlapping each other.

Link looked at them in mild surprise; he had forgotten how much most Hylians disliked the neighbouring province.

"Don't worry," he responded trying to calm them. "There's no problem between Norachre and Hyrule, we're just going to deal with a small dragon problem."

"Who's we?" The Zora that brought him the drink asked

"Well... you would probably know Ashei; she came by to investigate the snow peaks a while ago. Then there's Auru, you might have seen him in castle town. Shad was here not too long ago, investigating anything that looked slightly strange." As he was telling them this he gazed up at the sky and noticed it getting lighter. "And lastly Sheik who you probably wouldn't know, he just kinda appeared out of nowhere." He carefully left out mentioning Arnold.

"Well brother can take care of it I'm sure." One of the Gorons on the farther side of the pool put in. "He's very strong, especially with friends by his side."

Link smiled faintly then closed his eyes again for a few minutes. With a disappointed sighed made himself sit up.

"I guess I better get going." He said finally

"Good luck on your journey." The Zora said to him.

"Come visit when you get back." A Goron told him.

Link promised he would then climbed out of the hot spring into the cool morning air. His clothes had already dried so he pulled them on, glad to be protected from the swift breeze that was beginning to pick up. With a final wave to his friend he picked his way down the path to the village below.

As he walked towards the shaman's house he could see that the rest of the group, Arnold excluded, were already quietly readying the horses.

"There he is!" Auru said with a wide smile.

"And here we were thinking we would have to leave without you." Ashei teased.

"Yeah right, you couldn't leave me here if you tried." Link responded smiling.

Link then went over to prep Epona the smile still resting comfortably on his face. Sheik greeted him in the usual manner of simply acknowledging his presence then returned to packing the bags of the horse that Arnold had been riding the previous day.

Epona seemed very pleased to see him. She nickered softly as he patted her head. Link began to hum quietly as he tightened her saddle.

"That's a nice tune." Sheik commented after listening for a while.

"Thanks, she seems to like it. Ilia was actually the one who came up with it. Now Epona responds if I every call her with it." Link said as he climbed into her saddle.

"Yes, Ilia told me." He answered

"Oh? What else did she tell you?" Link responded trying not to give away that he was interested.

"A bit of everything really... She's the type of person who doesn't hide much about herself." Sheik said thoughtfully.

"That's a very apt description." Link said nodding.

"Hey chatterboxes, you ready?" Auru whispered to them

"Yes." Sheik answered simply.

"Alright then let's get going before we wake up the whole household."

After quietly slipping out of the village the group made their way across the remainder of Hyrule field. They reached the ransacked village as dawn broke fully.

They were all horrified by the complete devastation. Being only slightly smaller than Ordon the village still was quite a sight. The dragon hadn't left anything in its wake; every house was in some way burnt or crushed. A few people were slowly moving about trying to clear the wreckage and bring some semblance of order back to their lives, but their faces clearly reflected the gloomy spirit that was hanging over the village. The group though still trying to process what they were seeing. As they got to the middle of the village they saw a group of talking and pointing to different areas and writing down information. As they got closer Auru called to them.

"Ho there! We're looking for the one in charge; could you tell us where we could find him?"

The group turned and one of the members stepped forward. The man looked like he was in his early thirties and had build of a hard working farmer. He stood a least a head taller than Link but had an mild aura and stature that offset what could have been an intimidating appearance.

Putting his hand up to push a few stray dark brown hairs back under his bandana he answered Auru's call.

"That would be me sir, what can I do for ya?" The man said

"We were sent by princess Zelda to help rid you of a dragon problem... We were hoping you could point us in the right direction." Auru answered in a very upbeat manner

The man scoffed slightly. "You? You don't stand a chance." He said crossing his arms over his chest

"Pardon me, but I think it's a little soon to make judgment such as that, mister...?" Auru left it hanging so as to learn this man's name.

"Hugh sir. I mean no disrespect, I'm sure you all are very capable but there's no way that your small group will be able to take on a beast as this." Hugh replied, some of the weariness creeping onto his voice.

"Hmm, well perhaps some introductions with be in order then." Auru said thoughtfully. He began by gesturing to Link. "This is Link, you may be familiar with the stories of the man who prevented the complete distinction of our beloved Hyrule, and in doing so also saved our very own princess from captivity."

Link smiled slightly embarrassed, he was never very comfortable when people bragged about his accomplishments.

Hugh expression changed to one of slight surprise, though he was still trying to hide his interest.

"Next," Auru continued. "The well-known scholar Shad. His books are well circulated among the people of Hyrule, I'm sure you've read some of them, even if you weren't aware of who wrote them."

Shad too looked nervously embarrassed but smiled and waved anyway.

"Also you may know of Miss Ashei here." Auru said turning to Ashei. "Former knight of Hyrule now an active member of the Resistance, she is recognized by many as one of the strongest warriors Hyrule has had the pleasure of knowing." Auru said proudly almost like a doting father.

Ashei simply stared at the man without saying a word. Though Hugh returned the look with one of mild interest.

"We also have the good pleasure of having this young man along with us." Auru said gesturing to Sheik. "This is Sheik, one of the few remaining Sheikah. An excellent warrior and skilled marksman along with other fine qualities."

Sheik didn't even look like he was paying attention rather he was staring off into the distance. Link tried to follow the gaze but found nothing of interest.

"And I," Auru said placing his hand to his chest. "Am Auru, retired general of the Hylians army and good friend of the late king as well as his daughter."

Link looked at him in surprise. He was learning all kinds of things about his traveling companions. Hugh stood there with his arms still crossed but his expression was one of thoughtfulness rather than condescension.

"Come with me, I would like to speak with you further." Hugh said motioning them to follow. "Leave your horses with the men; they will be well cared for." As he past the members of the group that he was formerly talking with he muttered a few instructions and they dispersed to go and work on different jobs. Link and the others dismounted and began to follow the young mayor to a tent that was set up near the end of the village. As they entered the tent they saw that there was a circle of mats set up on the ground.

"I apologize; you'll have to sit on the floor, seeing as we have no furniture to speak of." Hugh said pointing to the mats on the ground before seating himself on one of the mats at the far end of the tent. Link sat cross legged on one of the mats near the door alongside Sheik. Auru chose to sit next to the mayor with Ashei beside him and Shad across from him.

"Knowing who you are does change my view of each of you, but I still hold to point that you don't stand a chance." Hugh said quietly after each of them has gotten comfortable.

"Perhaps it would be best then for you to explain why you feel this way." Auru said practically

"Seems reasonable." Hugh agreed. "The first time that the dragon arrived, we were completely unprepared. Many of our villagers died, including my sister." Hugh looked at his fingers as he wound the loose strings of the mat into small braids. "It destroyed all our crops and set fire to most of our houses, but even then we still had something to call home... The next time the dragon came it made sure to finish what it started, many of the men tried to stop it. They are now either dead or wounded, including myself." Hugh then stood up and slid the worn black vest he wore down to show them his back. Three gruesome slashes covered his back, even though beginning to heal, the scars were still red and inflamed. Wincing as he brought the vest back into place he continued. "Our men are not warriors - we know that, but it's not the dragon that defeated us. It was the one riding it. Our men couldn't get within 10 feet of the creature without the rider vaporizing them with some sort of magic. The blasts alone made it so we couldn't even get off the ground. Then he just left the dragon to play with us as he went to get what he wanted."

"What he wanted?" Ashei repeated.

"Yes, our village along with a few others are build overtop of a temple. Inside those temples are extremely powerful relics. We don't even know what they are capable of but the destructive power would be very great if the relics are brought together."

"And let me guess, this mystery person already has most of them right?" Link put in, seeing where the story was going.

"Yup, our ancestors were told to build here so as to throw people off the scent, so people couldn't find the temple." Hugh rolled his eyes. "You can see how well that worked out. Anyway passed down through the generations was the locations of 4 others, of course it's super cryptic and easily misunderstood but it's pretty clear that there are 5 relics in total." Hugh looked at them. "They currently have 4."

Auru whistled. "Well that does complicate things, that's for sure."

"Could you show us this temple?" Sheik spoke up finally

Hugh thought for a moment then shrugged. "I don't see why not, there's nothing for you to steal anymore."

He then stood and left the tent, clearly expecting them to follow.

He led them to the east side of the village where there lay a very large crater. At the bottom Link immediately noticed there were bricks sticking out of the dirt. Upon further inspection he managed to distinguish the opening to what he assumed would be the temple they were going to. His assumption proved to be correct as Hugh began to lead them to that entrance. Ducking to fit in the small opening Hugh stepped down the narrow staircase. At the bottom of the stairs he pulled a short stick out of his pocket. Link had to squint to see that Hugh a few feet in front of him since his eyes hadn't had a chance to adjust to the darkness. A moment later a sudden flash of light appeared in front of them then spread to the rest of the room. Upon further inspection Link found that Hugh had sparked an oil canister to give them some light, the oil then ran down a long track that made its way throughout the rest of the room.

"We've been spending a lot of time down here lately; it's one of the few places out of the weather so most of the village has been sleeping here." Hugh explained then gestured to a few torn blankets that were spread out on the floor.

Link frowned slightly. "Isn't that dangerous?"

Hugh looked over his shoulder at him.

"If you're referring to the monsters that had taken up residence then sure, I guess, but they never come in this room and we cleared out most of them." He shrugged. "Besides it's not like we have a lot of options."

Hugh continued to lead them through the temple. Link made a mental note of each turn just in case, but otherwise he felt relatively comfortable. The layout and feeling was very similar to most of the other temples and dungeons he had encounter when he was with Midna. The coloring of the place reminded him most of the Arbiter's Grounds. As they entered a larger room Hugh stopped and appeared to be listening for something. Then in one swift movement he grabbed a dagger that was attached at his belt and threw it at a corner were the light didn't quite reach. A high-pitched squealing noise was heard for a millisecond then was gone. Hugh calmly, and a bit solemnly, walked over to the corner and retrieved his dagger.

"Nasty things, we still find a few of them around now and then... All the same I hate to kill them seeing as it's really us who are intruding on them." He sighed. "Still I figured you guys wouldn't enjoy spending the next week or so recovering from a poison bite."

He smiled slightly then continued on leading them across the room. As Link passed he paused to see what kind of monster Hugh had slain. He only got a quick look before the thing disappeared into black smoke, but it appeared to be in the likeness of a snake but instead of scales the thing was covered in a thick armor. The only spot that appeared to be vulnerable was a slight opening near where the body and head met. Link's respect for the man grew exponentially as he considered the difficulty of hitting such a target from that distance and in the dark. After a couple more turns the arrived in a room larger than the one they had just come from. The room only contained one thing that Link could see. At the far end there was a stone pillar that came up to about his waist. In the centre was an empty slot in the shape of a diamond.

Hugh stared at them all for a while then said. "Just out of curiosity, did you have a reason you wanted to see the relic room or was it just something to pass the time."

Ashei and Auru looked slightly offended but Link simply shook his head.

"I have an idea but you have to promise not to freak out." Link smirked slightly as he looked at him.

Hugh raised an eyebrow. "You saying that means there is a plausible reason to freak out so why should I agree to that?"

"Valid point; so if you prefer you can leave the room while I do it." Link answered in an offhand manner.

"Not a chance. I'm not leavin'." Hugh responded adamantly.

"I figured you wouldn't, but you have to give your daggers to Ashei." He said with a nod of his head towards Ashei.

Hugh looked like he wanted to refuse but Link could also tell that he was curious so he reluctantly gave up his daggers. Link smiled and reached under his tunic. Grabbing hold of his newly made chain he tugged at the glass case releasing the stone from protective prison. Link wished he could see the look on Hugh's face as he transformed but the pulses forced his body to the ground as the stone changed his body into his alternate shape. The look on his face when the transformation was complete was almost as good though and Link simply had to let his tongue roll out in a wolfish laughter. He seated himself on the ground and looked up at Hugh who had by this time started to stutter incoherently. Ashei grinned openly at his reaction before patting him on his shoulder saying.

"Now you can see why we took away your knife."

Hugh cleared his throat and shakily responded "Well, I mean it not like I'm freaking out or anything, I'm just very interested in the fact that Link can suddenly change into a wolf, how long has he been doing that exactly?"

"Hmm...I'm not sure, but it's been quite a while." Ashei said flippantly, but was mischievously eyeing Hugh. "Don't worry; you'll get use to weird stuff like this happening if you stick around with us."

Hugh rolled his eyes at her remark then turned his attention to the rest of the group.

"So turning into a wolf is cool and all, but how is this supposed to help us?"

Shad adjusted his glasses and stepped forward.

"I believe Link is planning to track the thief in some way. Is that correct Link?" Shad asked

Link bobbed his head once then sauntered over to the stone pillar and began to pace around it. The group continued to converse about the matter but Link pushed their voices out of his mind and honed his senses on the pillar. A dark blue aura covered the worn stone. With his eyes brightening Link moved to inspect the aura closer. Closing his eyes to concentrate better he breathed in through his nose, making sure to take in the scent in its entirety. Opening his eyes once again he could see that the aura continued in line leading out of the room. Allowing his mouth to form into a wolfish grin, Link trotted alongside the aura, letting it dictate his course. As he left the room the others finally took notice and ran to follow after him. The aura for the most part led them back through the same rooms as they had come from before but every once and a while it would take small detours. Link tried to make sense of the seemingly random pit stops but to little avail. All the same Shad diligently took down the different locations and anything of note about them. The trail eventually led them outside revealing to Link the direction that the mysterious person had left in. He barked once to indicate which direction, knowing it would be simpler than changing back into human form. At this Auru turned to Hugh and said.

"Well I guess this is where we part; thank you for your help. I wish your village speedy progress."

The others nodded in turn and turned to follow Link when Hugh called after them.

"What that's it? You're still going after that thing even after what I told you?" He said in disbelief

The group looked at each other.

"Yep." They answered simply

Hugh frowned slightly and appeared to be considering something.

"Alright, I guess it can't be helped. I'll be coming with you." He said folding his arms over his chest.

"Why?" They all asked bluntly

"Ouch. Just a minute while I pick up the pieces of my pride here... Because I want to help obviously." He answered in an exasperated tone.

"What about your village?" Ashei asked also folding her arms over her chest.

"They're making good progress without me. I'm sure they can handle things while I'm gone." As he said this he looked back at the shambles of his village. "Besides... If there's any way I can help in getting rid of the monster responsible for this, I want in."

Each looked at looked at each other unsure how to respond. Link then trotted over to Sheik and nudged his leg. Sheik looked down at the wolf.

"You want him along also?" He asked

Link barked once to indicate his opinion.

"Both Link and I would be happy to have Hugh accompany us." Sheik stated to the rest, leaving no room for argument.

Hugh could barely hide his relief but quickly guarded his emotions once again. "I'll go collect my things. Won't be long." He told them and started back to his village at a light jog. Mid stride he stopped and turned back to face them. "Just so you know try to leave without me and I will find you, I'm good at stuff like that." He said with a sideway smile, then continued on his way.

As he got out of ear shot Ashei said jokingly. "Aww, how did he figure out our plan?"

"Ha ha, you're happy to have him along I can tell." Auru said looking at her from the corner of his eye.

Ashei snorted. "I guess, he just better not get in the way."

"I think people know better than to get in your way Ashei." Shad pointed out.

Ashei simply nodded smiling to herself. Hugh, true to his word, returned within a few minutes with a small scorched backpack slung over his shoulder.

"So which direction?" He asked as neared.

Link was once again impressed seeing as the man didn't seem to be at all out of breath, rather he looked like he hadn't left at all.

"That's all you're bringing?" Auru asked glancing at the small pack.

"I travel light... Beside all I really need is food and water." He answered shrugging. "Oh and these of course." He reached to the back of his belt and revealed three daggers similar to the one he had used earlier

"Well if you're ready then, I guess Link wouldn't mind if you ride his horse seeing as he won't be needing it."


	11. Dragon fight

A brisk morning breeze was enjoyed by all as they followed along behind their canine leader. Link took little time to enjoy his surrounding though, completely bent on following the aura as if his life depended on it. Having let his wolf instincts take control the hero found his mood altering with it. Instead of feeling calm, his entire body tensed and shifted as if an attack was always imminent. He also found that he was feeling intensely impatient about the whole thing.

Everything was taking far too long for his liking and the noises behind him were beginning to wear on his nerves. Normally Link would have been able to reason logically on such matters but at this time he just found his nerves becoming more and more frayed until a low growl began to escape his lips. Link then realized he needed to take control of his instincts once again. After slowing to a walk and sensing that the others had slowed also Link stopped and sat on his hunches with great finality. He closed his eyes and began to calm his emotions, an exercise he had learned as he was growing up. Not particularly caring what the others thought of the sudden stop, the wolf focused on evening out his breathing and nerves. After allowing himself time to let his human thoughts trump his wolfish ones once again Link opened his eyes and regarded the land around him with mild curiosity, as if he was seeing it for the first time.

"Did we stop for a reason?" Sheik asked softly as he suddenly appeared at his side.

Link glanced at his companion and gave a low growl.

Sheik nodded. "I understand take all the time you need." Then stood up and walked back to the others.

"Link's just taking a break." He informed them

"How can you understand what he's saying?" Hugh asked curiously

"Any idea how far we've come?" Sheik answered carefully dodging the question

"Oh I don't know I would judge something like 7 or 8 miles." He estimated

"How far do you think we need to go?" Ashei wondered aloud

"I'm pretty sure Link is the only one who knows that." Auru said bringing their attention back to the wolf

Link was still only half listening to the conversation. He was more focused on orienting himself and deciding how much farther they could go without becoming to worn out. Link rolled his eyes at himself when he remembered his advantage. Getting to his feet he wandered lazily over to where the group had left the horses.

"Hello Link, nice day for a run isn't it." Epona greeted him as came up next to her.

"Yes, quite nice, how are each of you fairing?" Link responded in the manner of wolves

"We are faring fine; the need for rest is still a ways off, though I cannot speak for the ones who sit on our backs." She informed him thoughtfully

Link nodded his head.

"How is it that the one who was once human is now one of the wolves?" Ashei chestnut mare asked as it looked at Link cautiously

"Ones form may change, but Link will always be Link." Epona explained

The chestnut mare seemed satisfied with this answer and calmed.

"I fear the journey will still be long, how long will you be able to bear it?" Link asked them

"We will follow until the sun disappears." Auru's horse answered

"Thank you for your care of your riders, they appreciate your kindness." Link said before he turned to leave.

With a swift bark he informed the group that he was preparing to leave. Taking his place at the front Link once again honed his senses and began to follow the dragon's aura.

Just as evening was beginning to fall the scenery around them started to change. Instead of the hard-packed earth that stretched on for leagues at a time, it had turned into uneven rocky soil that began to build up and create walls and crevasses that hid away the last remaining light. As they had promised, the horses kept up with Link's pace throughout the day only started to slow as the light was dipping below the horizon. Link turned to address them.

"Nightfall is approaching, please remain here while I search for a place of sleep for the ones who sit on your back." He told them

They agreed to without a word and Link set off in a different direction from the aura. Within a few minutes he came across a suitable cave for the group to spend the night. After returning to where he had left his companions Link guided them to the cave. Everyone seemed grateful that Link had decided to stop for the night.

"So any ideas how far we still have to go before we reach the dragon?" Hugh asked Link as he unloaded some wood from Epona's saddle.

Link almost reluctantly removed the stone around his neck so as to properly answer the mayor. He shuddered slightly as the transformation took place.

"I'll never get used to that." Hugh said half to himself.

"Don't worry, it's weird for me too and I'm the one who changes." Link replied with some difficulty. His mouth always felt weird whenever he tried to talk for the first time after changing back.

"How does it feel to be human again?" Ashei called to him as she set up the bedding that they had brought along.

"Fine I guess, I'm so used to both that I feel relatively normal in whatever form I happen to be in." Link answered nonchalantly. "Anyway back to your original question, we won't have far to go tomorrow. The aura is getting stronger and that usually happens when it's near the thing it's emanating from." He explained.

"Ok I'll pretend that made sense." Hugh said as he shifted his weight to a more comfortable position. "So basically what your saying is we should be ready to fight that thing tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, thanks for the heads up." Hugh said jovially before going over to help Auru start the fire.

Link began to unpack his bedding, then looked back at Hugh.

"Hugh." He called to get the man's attention. "Here you can use this tonight. I'll be sleeping in my wolf form so I won't need it." He said as he tossed the bedding to Hugh.

Hugh caught it easily and thanked him.

The fire was now roaring and the cave began to warm. Link stretched contentedly against one of the cave walls as he seated himself on the floor. Auru and Hugh followed his example and sat also. Sheik then returned from outside with the bundles of food. He handed it out equally to each of them. He then came and sat next to Link. Link ate his food with little indication that he has any idea what he was eating. The weariness was beginning to claim him and he found himself more than once nodding off.

"You should sleep, you've worked hard today." Sheik told him.

Link smiled and responded. "Thanks but running as a wolf takes almost no energy, I think it's the last few nights that are starting to catch up with me."

Sheik's eyes narrowed, in suspicion or worry Link couldn't tell.

"The nightmare again?" He asked.

"Yeah, everything is still really unclear but I think the fact that's I've had the same nightmare twice now isn't a coincidence." He said while looking thoughtfully into the fire.

Sheik didn't answer but keep staring at Link.

"Well I guess there's nothing to do but wait and see what happens." He said finally before getting up to move closer to the fire.

Link sighed to himself and absentmindedly removed the clear casing on his stone. After changing forms, he began to turn in a circle a few times before lying down. Even Link wasn't sure why he did this, it just seemed appropriate somehow. Link looked at the rest of his companions. Ashei was talking to Shad about something near the back of the cave. Hugh and Auru were laying out their bedding and Sheik had yet to return. Link stared into the fire some more and thought about all the things that had been going on in his life in the past few days. Under the command of the hypnotic fire he felt his eyes slowly beginning to shut when a sudden banging sound rang through the cave. All of them jumped to their feet and turned toward the source of the noise. Link could barely believe his eyes.

"HellooOOoo! So sorry about being late everyone! I must have slept in!" Arnold said loudly as he dragged his signature unruly bags into the cave.

Everyone was struck speechless but Arnold didn't seem to notice he simply went about setting up his bags against one side of the cave and rolling out his bedding.

"My, my, you guys traveled far today didn't you?" Arnold said bringing his attention back to the shocked group. "Oh! And who is this? Did you find someone new to accompany you? He looks very capable, a good fit for your group." He said nodding approvingly at Hugh.

"Who's this?" Hugh asked as the first one to find his voice.

"Why that my dear boy is just what I asked about you! Very rude you know, you must introduce yourself first." Arnold said with a reproving glance.

"You should follow your own advice..." Hugh muttered under his breath. "My name is Hugh." He told him

"Hugh, a proper name, it suits you. And I..." Arnold said placing a hand on his chest and bowing slightly. "Am Marvin Arnold Fabian Fergus the third, although I prefer to go by Arnold."

"Now why are you all standing around there with your mouth hanging open? It's very unseemly." He said to the rest while frowning.

"How in the name of Hyrule did you get here?" Ashei burst out, finally finding her voice.

Arnold looked surprised at her. "Magic of course." He responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ah master Shad!" he called to him getting distracted once again. "Find out any more interesting thing along your journey? He asked as he walked over and began to look over Shad's shoulder at his notebook.

Shad stuttered something to the effect of no. But Arnold would have none of that. "Come, come my boy show me what you've got there."

"It's nothing really." Shad insisted while trying to back ways from the arcanist.

Arnold sighed melodramatically. "Fine it you're going to be that way about it." He then turned and ended up staring right at Link. Link winced internally as he worried that the man would end up slightly hysterical. But Arnold just seemed to be frozen in place. He continued staring at Link in his wolf form for a while longer then calmly turned to the others and said.

"Where is master Link? You haven't misplaced him I trust?" He said as if the encounter never even happened.

"Umm… nope haven't misplaced him." Auru said carefully after recovering.

"Oh? So where is he?" Arnold said in the same completely relaxed manner.

Auru pointed towards Link. Arnold turned to follow his direction. He stared at the wolf for few seconds then looked back at Auru.

"This is master Link?" He asked also pointing at the wolf.

Auru nodded yes.

"Oh well that would explain a few things." Arnold replied happily. "Master Link so good to see you again old boy!" He said enthusiastically as he bent down next to him. "However did you get yourself in this predicament?"

Ashei leaned over to Hugh and whispered.

"This clinches it, he's completely crazy." She said shaking her head slightly.

Link looked at the arcanist completely confused. His reaction was not at all what he had been expecting; rather it was the complete opposite. Unsure what else to do, other that let himself be pestered with questions he couldn't answer for the rest of the evening, Link reluctantly pulled the stone off and gave way to the transformation once again. He shook himself a bit to get feeling back throughout his body once again the looked down at Arnold. The arcanist was staring intently at the stone that was now lying on the ground. He began to reach out his hand to pick it up.

"Don't touch that." Link told him sharply. "Unless, of course, you want to turn into a ghost."

Arnold quickly pulled his hand back and looked up at him meekly.

"Yes of course, shouldn't touch it." He said very seriously nodding his head in agreement.

Link knelt down and clasped the case back on the stone and slipped it into his pocket.

"Wait, that's what happens if one of us touches that thing?" Ashei asked in alarm.

"Yeah, but I knew you guys would be careful with it so I wasn't worried." Link answered calmly.

"What an interesting stone! Is it magic?" Arnold asked with a wide grin

Link sighed. "More or less," he admitted resignedly. "But no, you can't examine it and no I'm not going to tell you where I got it. I'm much too tired for all that right now."

Arnold frowned a little and his lower lip stuck out in something of a childish pout but he didn't argue.

"Whatever the case I think it's time that we all got some rest. Tomorrow we're going to need our energy." Auru said with stern practicality.

No one protested and within minutes each of them were in their respective beds and well on their way to sleep.

Link's head jolted up in an unpleasant awakening, his head still spinning from the latest nightmare. He looked around to see if he had woken anyone else but everyone seemed to still be peacefully slumbering. Laying his head back on the ground, the hero allowed sleep to claim his once again. But unbeknownst to him there were two others who were witness to his disturbing nightly visions.

Getting ready the next morning was... interesting to say the least. Between Arnold and Shad arguing and Hugh finding out the hard way what happens when you try to wake up Ashei, Link found it very difficult to keep his concentration steady. Sheik and Auru seemed to be having the same dilemma and had disappeared early on, leaving Link in charge of the morning chaos. After detaching Arnold from Shad and taking away Ashei's daggers thing began to calm slightly. Link had hoped that he would have time to prepare himself mentally for the impending battle but he realized he would have to settle for preparing on the way.

"Are you guys almost ready to go?" He asked trying to keep his frustration out of his voice.

"Yeah we should be ready to go in the next few minutes." Hugh answered as he finished tying up the bedding he had used the night before.

"Alright I'll be outside if you need me" Link said then walked out of the cave, glad to be free of the cramped space.

As he exited the cave he was greeted by Auru.

"Hey, glad to see you're still alive after all that." Auru joked.

"No kidding, I had no idea getting up in the morning could be so complicated for some people." Link answered wryly

"You and me both." Auru chuckled slightly. "So how are you doing?" He asked more seriously.

Link paused before responding. "Alright I guess, I'm more nervous than I thought I would be, but that just may be because I'm out of practice." He said with a small lopsided smile.

"That may be true... But it may also be because you have more than just yourself to worry about." Auru said thoughtfully.

"Maybe..." Link murmured. "Oh hey, do you know where Sheik went?" Link asked suddenly

"Yeah I think he went over there behind those rocks, said something about getting a letter." Auru shrugged but pointed in the direction that Sheik had left.

"Thanks." Link said before walking in the direction Auru and indicated.

He found Sheik sitting against the rock face reading a piece of paper that Link could only assume was the letter Auru had told him about.

"Hey." Link said trying to get his friend's attention.

If Link had startled Sheik in any way he did an amazing job of hiding it. Instead the Sheikah simply glanced up at Link and said.

"I see Ashei hasn't torn you to shreds yet."

"Yeah I got off pretty easy today; Hugh took most of the heat this morning." Link said smiling at the thought of Hugh's terrified face when Ashei had woke up.

Sheik seemed to smile but didn't say anything in response.

"So what have you been doing this morning?" Link asked as he sat against the rock face opposite to Sheik.

"The postman came, gave me a letter from the princess." Sheik said lifting the letter slightly to show Link, but not enough for Link to be able to read any of it. Sheik frowned slightly. "I still can't figure out how that postman can find us even when we're all the way out here."

Link laughed. "You got me there, he always shows up in the weirdest places. I mean I even found him at the end of the Cave of Ordeals."

"The Cave of Ordeals?" Sheik asked curiously.

"Yeah, it was this place I found in the desert, it's the home of the great fairy and just involved fighting a ton of monsters. Long story short, I was pretty beat up by the end of it but then I get to the end and there's the postman completely untouched just sitting there." Link said, letting his voice portray the disbelief he had felt.

"Yikes, I don't think he's completely normal." Sheik said giving a small laugh.

"Are any of us?" Link said rolling his eyes.

"Good point." Sheik said looking to the side.

"The princess say anything of interest?" Link asked indicating towards the letter.

Sheik looked down at the paper.

"Not particularly..." He said with a shrug. "It's mostly talking about what's been happening at the castle."

"Sounds boring." Link said putting his arms behind his head so he could lean back more comfortably. "I'm amazed that Zelda can- oh sorry, the princess can put up with all that. I would be falling asleep every few minutes."

"I'm sure the princess would mind if you simply called her Zelda." Sheik put in. "But yes, I'm sure it does get boring at times."

"Hmmm," Link murmured in agreement. "Anyway, we'd better get going. Don't want to keep our dragon friend waiting." He said with a wink as he got up and began to walk back to the cave entrance. Finding most of the group already saddling up Link began to pull out his wolf stone.

"I'll scout ahead before I lead you guys where to go ok?" Link said to Auru.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Auru said before mounting his horse.

"Are you going to make our horses act all weird again?" Hugh called to him wearily

"Act weird?" Link repeated, confused

"Yeah how they just would suddenly stop walking or randomly change direction without us telling them." Hugh said frowning.

"Oh that," Link said smiling. "I just had a chat with them, so they know when to follow me and when to stop. Sorry if that confused you." He said slightly mischievously.

"It's fine but just warn me next time." He answered.

"I'll try to remember." Link teased

Within a few minutes they had finally managed to get Arnold on his horse and were ready to be on their way." Link transformed and began to lead the way, the battle quickly approaching.

Following the aura seemed to be easier the second day. And within a couple of hours Link asked the horses to stop while he went and scouted ahead. The area around him was still very rocky and reminded him strongly of death mountain. Turning at corner he came face to face with a giant cave opening. It was at least 15 feet in height and easily that big across. Link glanced inside from his spot on the left side of the entrance. The aura clearly entered here, and given the smells that we're emanating from the cave, Link surmised they had finally caught up with their dragon foe. Feeling his adrenaline pumping through his veins Link quickly loped back to the group. Transforming back to human Link told them his findings.

"So we only need to turn a few corners and we're there." He said somewhat breathlessly.

"Alright, everyone dismount and leave your horses here, we'll travel the rest of the way on foot." Auru said taking control.

Everyone complied and began to remove various weapons and devices from the saddle bags. All except Shad of course, they had decided the night before that he would stay to watch over their belongings. Link dug through his pockets checking over his supplies. He was a bit low on arrows but he was sure that Ashei had extras that he could use. Deciding to leave two of his fairies behind, he brought his potions instead. Looking around everyone else seemed to be ready.

"Alright let's go." Link said

They each nodded tensely and began to follow as he led them towards the cave. The cave was pitch black so Link was forced to light his lantern to give them some light. Notching an arrow he slowly began to walk into the cave staying tight to the wall. He noticed Ashei had followed his example and Sheik had readied himself with small needle-like knives. The stench was overpowering and Link found himself stifling a gag. As they made their way deeper into the cave they came across many carcasses, clearly indicating what the source of the smell was. After what seemed like an eternity something glinted off his light. Stopping Link bent down to inspect it and after lifting it he realized it to be a shield, but he didn't recognize the crest. Hugh's face twisted to one of a mix of rage and great sadness when Link showed it to them.

"That was my sister's." He said through clenched teeth.

Link nodded sadly and handed it to him. Wordless Hugh strapped it to his back then indicated for Link to continue on. Link however stayed frozen in place, his head swivelling around. He brought his bow and arrow closer to his face, pulling the draw string tighter. The rest mimicked his movements and crouched into their individual battle stances. They began to hear the scrapping of scales against the stone through the silence. Then suddenly the dragon's eyes opened a few feet in front of them glinting dangerously off Link's lantern, giving them an eerily golden shine. They dragon roared mightily and began to shoot long streaks of fire around the cave. The rocks themselves began to catch on fire in some places, lighting the cave brightly even after the dragon concluded its bellowing. Turning its attention back to the group the dragon snaked its head closer. The size of the thing was incredible, with a single eye being equal in size to Link. As it towered over them Link began to search for its weak spot. When the dragon had been closer Link had noticed that the eyes had clear protective armour covering them, one like he had never seen before. Growling in frustration of not finding one Link turned to the others.

"Split up." He commanded. "Find its weak point."

They each began to comply, running off in different directions. The dragon watched all this with seeming boredom. Its eyes half lidded, it glanced at each of them in turn, but made no effort to attack. Link frowned at the strange behavior and started to move closer to try and determine why the dragon was acting this way. As he got closer the dragon turned to look at him. Eyeing him curiously just as Link returned the look with one of his own. Once he got within a few feet of the monster, it decided that he had come far enough and shot a small blast of fire towards him. Link back flipped out of the way with ease and fired a bomb arrow into its mouth. The dragon closed its mouth just as a muffled explosion could be heard; even so the dragon didn't so much as blink. Link put away his bow and arrows. 'Well that clearly didn't work.' He thought to himself as he brought out his ball and chain. 'On to the next experiment.' The dragon snorted quietly and began to settle itself on the ground, looking at Link with the same bored expression. As Link began to swing the ball and chain over his head he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Glancing over he saw the it was Arnold. He was skipping, yes skipping, over to the dragon. He then put a hand against the dragon's scales before any of them could stop him.

"Hello sweetheart!" He said happily, as he stroked the dragon affectionately.

The dragon growled and moved its head closer to the arcanist.

"Yes, I agree it was quite rude of them to wake you like that." Arnold said in response to what the dragon had 'said?'

Arnold looked over reprovingly at Link. "You never said that you were going to kill my dragon." He said with a frown. "Don't you think that's a little presumptuous? Not to mention mean." Arnold pouted while still stroking the side of the dragon.

"... Your... Dragon?" Link replied very slowly.

"Yes, my dragon. You have no right, and I should say no reason to hurt it. It's mine so leave it alone." Arnold said quite snappishly

"Arnold what are you talking about!?" Link asked in complete disbelief.

Arnold looked at out of the corner of his eye condescendingly, but didn't respond for a while.

"You said that you were going to kill a dragon, one, I might add, that was dangerous and must be stopped, but you weren't supposed to kill this one! Go find another one."

"Arnold, this dragon has attacked villages! It's killed people! It killed Hugh's sister! You really think I'm going to just let that go?!" Link yelled in frustration.

"Yes you will. You will have to." Arnold said coldly.

"Or what?!" Link snapped

Arnold began to laugh. "Ah, the hero of Hyrule." He said mockingly. "You think that you're so strong, but you don't stand a chance against me." He said emphasizing 'chance'.

Link put away his ball and chain and calmly unsheathed his sword.

"I will not let this creature harm any more innocent people." He said boldly.

Arnold began to laugh heartily at this.

"My dear boy. There is no need for that. It not like I want to hurt people. I just don't let anything stand in my way, and those 'innocent' people were definitely in the way." he said very clearly annoyed by the thought.

"You can't do this." Link said firmly

"Master Link..." Arnold said reprovingly. "This is not a situation of can or can't; it is simply if I will or it I won't, and I have already decided that I will." He finished, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Link glared back at him. Arnold looked at him, and then his eyes softened.

"There is no need for us to fight. I am more than willing for you to go. You can go back to your life and no harm will come to you or any of the others. As I said before my goal is not to hurt people." He said kindly, as if speaking to a small child.

"Then what is your goal?" Link asked carefully

"My, my how many times must I say it? Magic of course!" He said throwing his arms out in the air flamboyantly. "I want magic!"

"You already have magic." Link pointed out.

"I want more! You can never have enough magic. There is always more to learn, more to collect!" Arnold said excitedly.

"And that's why you want the relics." Link filled in.

"Well obviously." He replied with a shrug

"Then what? What will you do after that?" Link frowned deeply, trying to keep his rage under control.

"Well I suppose I could go to the mushroom kingdom... There are a few types of magic that I still need to learn from there." Arnold said thoughtfully as he tapped his cheek while looking at the ceiling. "I mean Bowser does owe me a favour so I could always use his help. Or I could visit Tellius, I would love to get my hands on one of those swords, Marth wasn't overly accommodating last time but that's not that important. Oh! But I do want to come back to speak to your dear princess eventually. I hate putting things off for too long." He dawdled, and then sighed melodramatically. "I just have so many choices."

"And how many more people will get hurt because of this?" Link asked rhetorically. "A hundred? A thousand? You really think that you can get away with that?"

"Uh, I have a dragon." He said waving his hands towards it. "It not like people can stop me."

"I will."

"Fine," Arnold said simply. "Have it your way." He then turned to address the dragon. "My dear please take care of these pests, but try not to kill them." He glanced at Link disparagingly. "I'm feeling generous today." Then with a flick of his wrist he disappeared.

At that moment the dragon instantly flared to life, the earlier indifference all but forgotten. It snapped at where Link had been seconds earlier. After back flipping out of the way Link grabbed his hookshot and let the chain fly. The head embedded itself into the rough area of the ceiling and with a tug Link was lifted off the ground to the air above the dragon. A quick glance around informed him the locations of the rest of the group. Sheik was on the left flank of the dragon slicing at the legs with his knives while dodging the dragon's wings that were slashing around trying to shake off its attackers. Ashei was near the tail shooting arrows at its skin; hissing in frustration as they bounced harmlessly off. Auru was just a few feet away from Ashei readying his bazooka. Landing with a thump Link ran toward Sheik in an attempt to aid the warrior. Jumping up on the creature's leg he began to climb, ducking as the dragon's head swung around to try and hit him. Eventually he managed to climb to its wings and began to slice at them with as much strength as he could. Sheik joined him moments later and began to throw daggers into various parts of the wing. The dragon roared in anger and began to bat them away. Jumping to the ground to avoid being hit, Link and Sheik began to run to the other side of the dragon to see if they would have better success on that side. The dragon raised its front paw and slashed down at them with lightning speed. Link barely managed to get his shield out in time to stop the claws from slicing through the both of them. A quick nod from Sheik was the only gratitude that they had time for before they were off running again. The dragon hissed flames at them as they attempted to dive out of the way. Link got out his boomerang spun it around himself to douse the flames; luckily he had only caught fire in a few places and hadn't burned much farther than his clothes. Sheik on the other hand was not as fortunate, his left side had been scorched leaving nasty burns. Link hurried over but Sheik roughly turned him away and got to his feet. The sound of the dragon's roar alerted them that it was about to breath fire again. Link impulsively threw the boomerang at the dragon's head in the hopes that it would stop it from attempting to roast them again. It worked for a split second before the dragon angrily resumed its fiery rampage. Muffled explosions echoing across the cave alerted them that Auru and Ashei had begun to use the bazooka. The dragon screeched, in pain or anger Link couldn't tell, then spun around and crashed its head into the two. They both flew across the room and landed unconscious.

Link growled in rage. "Go take care of them!" He yelled at Sheik. "I'll distract the dragon!"

Sheik noodled tensely and ran toward the fallen members of their team.

Link shouted at the dragon to get its attention. As the dragon turned its head Link set fuse to three of his bombs and threw them at the things head. As they got close he shot three arrows, exploding the bombs prematurely. As the dragon tried to reorient itself after not actually being hit by the bombs, Link threw his boomerang to stun it further. Then in one fluid movement he attached his iron boots while throwing his ball and chain. Using a different tactic, he threw the ball in such a way that it would wrap around the leg of the dragon. Before the dragon could figure out what he was doing he pulled as hard as he could, taking advantage of the fact that the dragon was already unstable. The creature roared in utmost rage as it fell to the ground but it wasn't going down without a fight. It whipped is tail around last second and slashed it solidly across Link's chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending his shield crashing into the wall at the other end of the cave. Link weakly began to climb to his feet when the dragon got back up and hit him with its front paw, sending him back to being sprawled on the ground. Link looked up at the dragon as it lifted is paws once again to hit him in what Link was sure would be the final blow. His mind screamed at him to get up but his body shook with pain. He could feel that two of his ribs were broken and most likely another three that were cracked alongside an untold number of bruises and cuts. Link felt his eyes closing as the sharp claws came hurling towards him. With a blur Sheik appeared in front of him with his arms crossed across his chest in a defensive position. Link's eyes widened in terror as he tried to yell to Sheik to move but the claws crashed into the Sheikah throwing him back against the wall before crumpling to the ground. Time seemed to slow as Link struggled to pick himself up to go aid his friend. The dragon slammed its claws around Link, missing him by centimetres. He looked into the gleaming eyes of the dragon. It stared at him with almost devilish delight as it slowly began to scrap its claws across his chest quickly drawing blood. Link fought to swallow a scream, tears streaming down his face. The dragon's claws suddenly stopped moving, and then drifted off his chest, trailing a streak of blood after them. Link could feel himself slipping into blissful darkness, but still managed to hear Arnold's voice echoing through his head.

"Not yet, my dear, not yet."

Without another moment the darkness overtook him.


	12. Recovery and arguments

Link woke to a dull throbbing that beat to a steady rhythm in his head. Unfortunately, as he came further into consciousness that dull throb became a roaring banging that made him wince with every stroke. Blinking his eyes blearily he tried to make the spots stop crowding his vision. After opening his eyes completely he was rewarded with an intense white light being shoved into his field of vision. Shutting his eyes tightly he tried to turn his head away from the light that was causing him pain. Only then did feeling begin to return to the rest of his body, reminding him in full of all of his injuries. Gasping slightly at the pain Link forced his eyes open once again to allow him to determine exactly where he was. After being greeted once again by the hideous light Link blinked rapidly to try and lessen the pain and indicate for whoever it was to stop doing this to him. To his great relief, the person got his message and removed the light. It was at this point that his hearing decided to join him once again.

"Link! ... Link! Can you hear me?" A voice called to him. All the sounds still sound very far away and echoey, as if they were underwater.

"Link! Blink twice if you if you understand." The voice said.

His vision still being blurry and his head not quite up to speed Link didn't fully grasp why this person was giving him this stupid task. But reluctantly he complied anyway and blinked twice. Thankfully this caused the person to stop talking to him for which he was quite grateful. It was hard enough as it was for him to try and make his body function the way it was supposed to without all this input and noise. Once he had gotten used to his body screaming at him for all of his injuries, he found that he could begin to let his reasoning skills return along with his memory functions. Images of the fight with Arnold and his 'precious' dragon came back with frightening clarity. He still couldn't believe that he had attacked them like that. By now his eyesight was back to normal, well, normal considering the circumstances, and he managed to piece together that he was in the inn back in Kakariko. How he had got there wasn't quite in his mental scope at that moment.

He grimaced as he shifted to his side to see if Auru, Shad, Ashei or Hugh were around. He found them next to the other bed accompanied by Renado and Luda. Frowning slightly, he tried to figure out what they were all staring at.

"Sheik!" He cried out suddenly as he tried to get up to rush to see if his friend was alright. He blacked out just long enough for him to fall back to the bed in immense pain but his crying out brought the attention of the others.

"Link, are you alright?"

"We thought you were going to die!"

"I know Renado said you were fine but that does mean you can jump up and start walking around idiot!"

"What on earth were you thinking taking on that thing alone!?"

The flood of comments from all the people around him made his head hurt but he opened his eyes anyway and made an attempt at calming them.

"Where is Sheik? Is he ok?" He asked finally

"He's over in the other bed; we were just about to check him over when you woke up." Ashei explained

"Wha- wait how long have we been here?" Link asked, still trying to wrap his mind around the time gap that he had missed while unconscious.

"We just got here a few minutes ago and we had to tend to you first since you were the most injured." Auru answered this time.

"Although, Sheik got beat up pretty bad too." Shad said worriedly glancing over at the other bed.

"Go take care of him I'm fine." Link insisted quickly.

"Wait." he called to Hugh before he could turn away. "I have a fairy that can help." Link looked down at himself and realized that he was covered only in bandages from his torso up. Looking around he tried to find where his clothes and gear were.

"Your clothes were still smoldering by the time we got here but I think they're over in the other room, I'll go get them." Hugh told him, reading his mind.

Stuck in the position on his side Link was able to get a good look at everyone hurrying around trying to care for the injured Sheikah. Link could only see parts of Sheik's body before someone would block his view but Link did notice a large gash on his forehead along with other injuries. His own injuries all but forgotten Link anxiously watched to see if he would be alright.

"Hold on." Ashei said sharply causing everyone to look at her. She's stared down at Sheik's limp body for a second longer then turned to face them.

"Out." She demanded suddenly

"Wha- what are you talking about Ashei?" Auru asked in complete bewilderment.

"I said get out." Ashei insisted. "All of you." She pointed at everyone. "Everyone but Luda needs to leave right now."

"We can't just leave, we need to treat Sheik's injuries!" Renado protested.

"We will deal with that in a moment but this takes precedent." She answered dangerously quiet.

Everyone stared at her a little while longer before Auru spoke.

"Alright... I trust your judgment, but don't take too long." He said, then walked out of the room and down the stairs to the area below.

The rest eventually followed after leaving Ashei, a slightly confused Luda, Sheik and Link alone in the room.

Ashei sighed and looked down at Sheik. Then as if remembering Link turned to look at him.

"Turn the other way." She commanded him.

"Uh, I can't." He told her dryly. "Injured, remember?"

Ashei rolled her eyes. "Fine then shut your eyes."

"Why?" Link asked her firmly.

"Because I told yo-"

"Tell me why." He said

Ashei glared at him but finally relented.

"I guess it can't be helped." She muttered then moved to the side so he could see Sheik. "What do you see when you look at this?" She asked him.

Link looked at Sheik. They had begun to remove his blue and white body armor revealing his torso. Link blinked a couple of times to see if he was seeing correctly. Even though his friends had clearly not begun to tend to his injuries yet, Sheik was completely covered in bandages all up his chest.

"Was he injured before?" Link guessed tentatively.

"With the way he's been moving?" She answered in disbelief. Link frowned slightly, confused by the fact that Ashei seemed to choke out the word he.

"So what are you saying then?" Link asked her in exasperation.

"These bandages," She said pointing to them. "I used a similar idea when I had to sneak into an all men's camp to get some information. Now do you get what I'm saying?"

Link thought about it for a second longer then looked back at Sheik wide-eyed.

"Wait, you think th- but that's impossi- we would've-" Link stuttered

"Look, I don't know yet, which is why I'm going to find out if you would CLOSE YOUR EYES." Ashei told him clearly trying to keep her temper.

Link frowned but closed his eyes anyway. Relying on his other senses to get any information about what is going on around him. He could hear Ashei shuffling around and occasionally asking Luda to get things for her. Then after a moment of tense silence Link heard Ashei slowly let out a long breath. A couple of seconds later he heard her say.

"Ok Link you can open your eyes."

He quickly looked around to see what the result was. He saw Sheik laying in the same position as before but now a blanket covered him. Link glanced over at Ashei and silently asked her to tell him what she found.

"Well... The findings are conclusive." She said slowly. "Our friend Sheik here... is a woman."

Link felt like all the air had been knocked out of him. 'How could he not have noticed!?' He scolded himself. 'Why does this bother me so much?' He wondered suddenly. 'He... I mean she probably wouldn't have wanted me to treat her any different anyway.' Thoughts like these continued to ricochet around his head until Ashei cleared her throat.

"You gonna be alright there?" She asked teasingly. "It's not like Sheik's changed that much, it's still Sheik."

"Yeah I know, it's just-" Link didn't finish the sentence because they heard a knock at the door.

Ashei walked over and opened it to see who it was.

"Hey, I have the things Link asked for." Link could hear Hugh saying.

Ashei nodded and let him into the room. He quickly walked over to Link's side.

"I finally found them in that bottomless pocket of yours, where do you want them?" He asked

"Give one to me then I'll take care of the other one." Link replied

Hugh complied and uncorked the bottle allowing the fairy to whizz around Link. Sighing in relief as his pain began to seep away be began to sit up. He took the other bottle from Hugh and started to stand. Ashei basically shoved Hugh out the door again telling him that she would be down soon to explain.

Link slowly made his way the few steps to the other bed. The fairy helped but he still would be sore for the next week or so. He bent down and put his hand on the bottle to remove the cork when a light caught his eye. The back of his hand began to glow faintly. Frowning he looked at it closer to see if his eyes were tricking him in some way. Nope. His Triforce was glowing that's for sure. Link looked around, normally that meant that he was around someone else that was infused with the goddesses' power. His eyes growing wider by the second he looked down at Sheik.

"No. It couldn't be." He murmured. This day was just too much for him.

He set the bottle on the ground and began to untie the bandages on his... Her hand.

"Hey what are you doing?" Ashei asked sharply.

"I have to check something." He told her

Finally unwrapping the last of the unruly bandages he saw a matching glow emanating from her hand. Letting out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding in Link turned Sheik's hand to get a better look. After another minute Link slowly got to his feet and looked at Ashei.

"What?" She asked defensively.

"Sheik is not who we thought he... She was." Link said through clenched teeth

"What in the name of the three goddesses are you talking about?" Ashei asked completely exasperated.

"Sheik." He said pointing an accusatory finger at the body. "Is Princess Zelda."

Ashei stared at him stunned

"Link... Have you lost your mind?! Where did that come from? How could you possibly know that?"

"This is how I know that." He said bringing his hand up to show her.

"What some glowing triangle makes you know that Sheik is Princess Zelda?... I'm not buying it." She said crossing her arms.

Link groaned. "I don't have the energy to explain right now ok? I'll just let you ask her yourself."

Without another word, Link uncorked the bottle and let the fairy heal Sheik.

Her eyes fluttering slightly, the girl looked around in surprise.

"Where are we? What happened?" She asked immediately.

'Hmm, her voice sounds like it did before. That's interesting... I wonder what kind of spell she used.' Link thought to himself dully.

Sheik looked between Ashei and Link for a while, obviously confused as to why no one was answering her. Frowning slightly she began to sit up; when she realized what position she was in she immediately grabbed the blanket to keep covered. Link respectfully turned around and let Ashei do the talking.

"So how much do you know exactly?" Sheik asked after a long silence.

"Umm, we are now aware of your true gender, well Link and Luda and I are." Ash explained carefully.

"Ok... Is there more?" Sheik asked

"Well Link seems to think that there is also a discrepancy involving your identity." She said haltingly as if not sure which words to use.

"He does, does he?" Sheik said is some tones of amusement. "You can turn around Link I'm clothed." She informed him.

Link turned back and looked at Sheik with as expressionless a face as he could manage.

"And what is this discrepancy?" Sheik asked with mirroring blankness.

Link scoffed slightly and answered. "I hope you're getting all your questions out of the way now because I've got plenty of my own for you, your highness." He said spitting out the last two words.

Sheik sighed and turned to Ashei.

"Please, could you give us a moment alone." She asked

"Wait, so he was right!? You're actually Zelda!?" Ashei said in her usual outspoken manner.

Zelda held her gaze for a moment longer then said. "He is correct."

Ashei stood there gaping for another minute or so, then quickly turned on her heels and marched out of the room muttering to herself. Luda followed soon after, leaving Link and Zelda alone in the room.

Zelda smirked slightly. "I thought I told you once that I wouldn't mind being called just Zelda." She said looking up at Link with a somewhat of a smug expression.

"No, Sheik told me that." Link corrected

"And what exactly is the difference? I am Sheik, and Sheik is me." Zelda answered calmly.

"It makes all the difference if you are under the impression that they are two different people." Link shot back.

Zelda didn't respond.

Link rolled his eyes. "What on earth were you thinking?" He asked getting right to the core of the problem.

Zelda was silent for a moment, just staring at her hands.

"Fine. How about starting by telling me why you thought it would be a good idea to come out on this foolhardy quest and almost get yourself killed!?" Link said, his voice getting louder with each word.

Again Zelda didn't answer for a while. When she finally did, her voice was tight.

"The dragon was stronger than either of us had suspected," she pointed out.

"That doesn't make any difference; there was the possibility of death either way." Link answered trying to calm himself down

"I am capable of taking care of myself." She said raising an eyebrow.

Link pressed his fingers to his temples trying to dampen the throb of his headache. "Zelda... That's not the point. How do think it would be if I had to go back and tell the people that their princess was dead?" He asked quietly, now feeling more tired than angry.

Link could tell his word cut deep. Zelda again looked away and looked like she was holding in tears.

"I have my reasons for being on this journey," she said finally. "And though you may not agree with me being here, it was necessary."

Link signed again. "Fine. We'll do it your way." He said in defeat. "Now tell me what exactly is the plan now?"

Zelda looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I don't think it's fair if I hide my identity any longer from everyone else, so that's somewhere we can start. After that though, I guess is up to you. Will you go after Arnold or will you let Norachre take care of it?"

Link frowned; he hadn't had time to think about that yet. Normally he would have immediately said that he was going after him, but doubt began to eat away at him. 'How will I ever beat something like that?' He wondered to himself. He had never come across a monster that had defeated him so quickly.

Sensing his indecision Zelda began to slowly make her way out of the bed. Link looked at her with a flood of different emotions. He was angry at her for coming with them, but at the same time he was happy she was there; his mind going to the different times Sheik had saved his life during the battle. He wished that he could have time to sort out his unruly emotions but was distracted as Zelda came up beside him. She looked up at him with the same calm expression that Sheik would have and Link's chest began to hurt. He wanted to have Sheik back; he hadn't realized how much he had come to enjoy his friendship. Sheik had in a small way filled the gap that had been left by Midna. Zelda looked up at him with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry I lied to you." She said softly

Link stared back at her, a hundred emotions clamoring for attention in his mind. Eventually he turned away, unable to think of a response. He walked out the door without another word, Zelda following reluctantly after.

Auru, Shad, Hugh, and Renado all sat silently, ever so often glancing toward Zelda. They had barely moved since she and Link had finished summing up what had happened. Auru and Renado had taken the news relatively calmly, only murmuring a few choice questions now and then. Shad looked very curious, albeit slightly uncomfortable, with the new developments. And Hugh just looked confused.

Link sat opposite to Zelda, leaning heavily against the bar that was on the lower level of the inn. He absently wondered if he would have a chance to visit the spring later, hopefully dampening the still present headache and stiffness. Zelda sat demurely on one of the chairs, looking every inch the princess she was, in spite of her casual clothes.

After another few minutes of conversation passing amongst the group Link feigned a yawn and informed them that he was going to sleep. They each bid him goodnight and he forced his protesting muscles to climb the stairs back to the top of the inn. Zelda was going to be moved to Renado's house along with the rest, and Link was pleased to have some time without others around. Collapsing onto the bed Link stared at the ceiling. Though he was very tired he didn't feel like he would be able to sleep for a while. His mind spun trying to make sense of the last 24 hours. The two halves of himself fought mercilessly at each other over the decision Zelda had left him with. Would he go after Arnold or not?

Throwing around reasons, both for and against, and just ending up with another stalemate. Rolling his eyes, Link forced both voices into submission and decided not to think it any further at this time, seeing as it would just end up making him frustrated. Swinging his feet around he sat on the edge of his bed. Running his fingers through his messy hair he stood and walked over to the window. Making a somewhat impulsive decision he climbed out the window onto the roof of the lower part of the building. Walking carefully, he opted for lowering himself down while holding on to the edge of the roof rather than jumping as he usually would have. Walking rather lazily through the town, Link made his way to the Eldin spring. If he wasn't going to sleep he might as well do something useful with his time.

Once reaching the spring he walked in until the better part of his boots were submerged. Standing there with his arms crossed he stared blankly at the passing fairies and the flowing water that moved calmly around him. He stayed there patiently waiting for the healing water to begin to take effect. He broke out of his dozed like state when he heard a small sound behind him. Turning slightly he caught sight of Zelda wading out to be next to him.

"Couldn't sleep?" Zelda asked calmly as she got closer.

"Too many things to think about." Link answered

Though Link couldn't completely see her, he could tell that she had nodded.

"Does this river actually have the healing powers that it's said to have?" She asked curiously

"It would seem so... Are your injuries alright?" Link asked as he turned to face her.

She looked down at herself. "The fairy healed most of it, but I'm sure there will be a few scars that stick around." She reported, then frowned slightly. "The council members won't be pleased with that." She muttered to herself.

Link shrugged. "I don't see why... It shows that you can actually defend yourself." He said

Zelda looked at him carefully, as if trying to decipher if he was joking.

"I suppose," she said finally. "But the council members feel that I should leave the fighting to my knights."

Link looked down at his feet. A fairy had gotten up the courage to come closer and was now resting on the top of his boot. Zelda looked down too and giggle slightly. Moving very slowly she knelt down and held her hands out, beckoning for the fairy to come to her. The fairy nervously complied, the glow around her quivering as she stepped into the princess's hands. Lifting the fairy Zelda stood back up slowly so as not to frighten the sprite. Link watched as she brought her cupped hands to her face so she could get a closer look. The pink glow lit Zelda's face as she smiled at the fairy. Eventually the fairy flew away to join the rest at the other end of the spring and Zelda turned her attention back to Link.

"I'm going to miss this when I go back..." She sighed. "The ability to just move around where I want, to talk to the people I want." She said wistfully

"Everyone loves you as their princess." Link replied quietly

"Yes, but people can't get close enough to actually get to know me. I'm just a figurehead." She explained. "That was one of the main reasons I was in disguise."

"Well that's not completely true, I mean we're friends aren't we?" He pointed out with a slight smile. "And I'm sure that Telma views you as a friend as well as Auru, Ashei, and Shad. Hugh doesn't know you much but I think he would like to be your friend eventually. So you're not as alone as you think."

Zelda was silent for a moment. "I suppose you're right." She said quietly. "Thank you Link. I was so focused on what I didn't have that I had forgotten what I did have. I wouldn't trade any of those friendships for anything." She said with a shy smile.

Link smiled back and nodded in response.

The two stood there contentedly, simply enjoy each other's company along with the peaceful water that lapped away both their physical pains while the evening air cleared their minds of the heavy responsibilities and questions that were not yet answered. Eventually Zelda excused herself and returned to the house. Soon after Link followed course and returned to the inn, by way of the door this time. Settling onto the bed he closed his eyes, willing himself into a peaceful sleep. Within minutes his consciousness slipped from his grasp and he fell into a deep sleep.

Blinking lazily, Link looked at the ceiling of the inn. Yawning loudly he rolled over onto his side and stared blankly at the wall. He didn't have any plans laid out for the day and was seriously considering just sleeping for the rest of the day, but he forced himself to his feet, wincing as his muscles protested the movement.

After stretching, he lazily situated his hat on his head and walked down the stairs to the sitting area below. Zelda and Ashei were seated at one table, drinking what appeared to be tea, while Shad had his numerous books laid out in front of him at another. Link nodded to them but wasn't in the mood to talk. Exiting the inn he looked around searching for something to capture his attention. He eyes landed on Epona, who was still tied to the outside of Renado's house. Smiling slightly he walked over to her and began to run his hands through her mane as she nickered a greeting to him.

"Care to stretch your legs?" He asked her

Epona bobbed her head and lowered her head to be even with his chest.

Link snickered and climbed onto her back, not bothering to go to the trouble of getting the saddle.

"So, where to?" Link asked after he got himself comfortable. Looking towards death mountain, he remembered that he had promised to visit the Goron chiefs when he returned.

"How about we drop in on the Gorons?" He suggested to Epona

Epona responded by prancing, anxious to on their way. With a "Hyah!" They were off. Expertly maneuvering around the turns, Link let himself truly smile for one of the first times since they had returned. The ride was over much too quickly for both Link and Epona's tastes, but Epona wasn't fit for climbing much farther up the rocky terrain.

Link put his hands in his pockets and walked calmly along the path up the mountain, whistling softly to himself. He had been up to see the Gorons so often that he could navigate his way there in his sleep.

He reached the first area where he and Midna had first encountered the huge lava rock that had fallen from the sky. He smirked as he remembered trying to convince her not to drop the rock on castle town as opposed to the Zora domain.

"Midna, you can't be serious." He said, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Aww come on it would be fun!" Midna whined

"You can't drop a giant, boiling heap of magma on castle town, you'd kill everyone!" He yelled in frustration.

"I know wouldn't it be great?" She said grinning evilly

"No! It wouldn't the great!" He groaned

Midna rolled her eyes. "Fine, what if I promise to stop it just before it hits people?"

"No."

"Please?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet voice

"No. Just take it to the Zoras and then we can be finished with this whole thing." He said with a sigh

"You're no fun." She said even as she was smiling.

Zelda watched as Ashei sipped distastefully at her tea.

"Who even thought to invent tea?" She commented out loud

"If you don't like it you don't have to drink it." Zelda pointed out

"Nonsense, then what would I have to complain about?" She answered with a smirk.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Ashei spoke again

"Alright, so spill. What's going on with you and Link?" She asked blandly

"I beg your pardon?" Zelda retorted.

"Oh come on, isn't this what we're supposed to do? Have tea and talk about ...stuff?" She said waving her hand around as if she wasn't too pleased with the idea either but was going along with it anyway. "So answer, why are you guys so upset at each other?"

"Why do you think we're upset at each other?" Zelda returned carefully

"It's a pretty good indication when he waltzed through here and didn't say a word to you. I mean I know he barely talks as is but I can tell the difference yeah?" Ashei said with a wave of her hand.

"Well I thought we were doing ok now but I suppose he could still be angry with me." Zelda replied looked to the side.

"Oh don't get all emotional on me, just tell me what he's upset about then we can get this whole uncomfortable atmosphere over with already." She said sitting back in her chair and folding her arms.

"Seems so simple when you put it like that." Zelda muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Link is unhappy that I came along with your group on this quest." She explained.

"Well obviously." Ashei snorted. "But you told him your reasons then he was fine right?"

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly?" Ashei asked suspiciously

"I told him I had reasons," she explained defensively. "I just didn't tell him what they are."

Ashei began to hit her head on the table. "Are you serious?!" She yelled. The loud noise got a yelp from Shad's direction but both the girls ignored it.

"He wouldn't approve!" Zelda yelled back

"So what?!"

"What do you mean so what? It's an important factor!" Zelda shot back

"No it's not." Ashei said with a shrug. "Just tell him then let him be angry then be done with it."

Zelda looked at her for a moment longer trying to work this over in her mind.

"You're serious?" Zelda asked

"Yeah."

"Ashei not everyone is as blunt as you, I don't think this is going to work." Zelda told her quietly

"Sure it will. Now you sit here and stew for a few hours, which you know you'll do, then you'll come over to my side, and while you do that I'm going to go and practice my archery." Ashei said getting to her feet.

She then walked over to Hugh and grabbed his collar, causing him to almost drop his drink all over himself.

"And you're gonna come with me." She said as she pulled him out the door

Zelda just shook her head and continued to sip at her tea.

Link walked into the room that held the wrestling ring that he had fought in when he had first arrived at the Gorons'. Gor Coron and Darbus were at the far end of the room talking about something while a few other Gorons milled around accomplishing other small tasks.

"Brother!" Darbus called to him. "So you finally came to visit did you?"

"Hello Darbus." Link greeted him back. "Things have been well I trust?"

"As well as can be, all things considered." Gor Coron answered. "And how have things been fairing for you?"

"Well less than ideal, but that's not important right now." Link admitted

"Nonsense! We want to hear all about it! Come, we'll go somewhere a bit quieter." Darbus insisted as he began to push Link toward one of the side doors that Link hadn't noticed before.

The door led into a secondary room about the same size as the first, but this one looked more like a sitting room. The room had some kinds of rudimentary seats and in the middle was a blazing fire with a cage of stone surrounding it. Darbus and Gor Coron each lounged on the seats on either side of the hearth while Link took the seat facing them with his back to the door.

"So, tell us what has been going on." Gor Coron prompted him.

Link sighed and began to explain the past few days.

"Then I came to see you guys, seeing as I had promised to before." Link finished with a motion towards them.

Darbus nodded grimly

"That does seem like a complicated situation." Gor Coron conceded

"Doesn't seem complicated to me." Darbus disagreed

Link and Gor Coron looked at him confused.

"Go and crush him for what he did. Make him pay for what he has done." Darbus said pounding his fist on the seat next to him.

Gor Coron put his hand to his face with a very tired expression. "Darbus, you cannot always solve problems with such brutality, some conflicts must be approached with more delicacy." He reprimanded. "Link, you said you already tried to reason with him correct?"

"Yes, but he is beyond reason. I can't stop him that way." Link replied dully

"Well, we Gorons have a saying; 'the follower cannot walk a better path than the leader who set it.' Now this saying clearly isn't true in every situation but the basic idea holds true. A leader is often the one who needs to be addressed if the ones following him are acting incorrectly."

"But Arnold is his own leader, isn't he?" Link asked, skeptically

"Yes and no. He is following his own ideas but he is under the leadership of someone else, just as we all are."

"And you know who this person is?" Link said still not following where this was going.

"Yes, as do you. The king of Norachre." Gor Coron explained.

Link stared at him in silence for a while considering.

"So you think that Arnold still answers to the king? That the king has some way of controlling him?" Link questioned doubtfully

Gor Coron laughed. "Not a clue," he admitted cheerfully. "But there's only one way for you to find out."

Link smiled slightly, and nodded his head. "I'll consider it."

"Good! Now brother you must stay for supper!" Darbus said happily, clearly no longer upset at Gor Coron's reprimand.

"Supper? Is it already that late?" Link asked in surprise.

Darbus laughed, "Yes, so we must hurry or there may be no food left."

With that they got up and returned to the main room, where the wrestling ring had been turned into a makeshift banquet table, housing an incredibly large amount of food, though most was inedible to humans. Thankfully Gor Coron noticed and collected together a few pieces of meat and some non-poisonous vegetables. Link nodded gratefully before going to sit next to some of the other Gorons that he had spoken to at the hot spring. Engaging in happy and boisterous conversation for a couple of hours, as well as eating more than enough to fill him, Link sat back against the wall behind him and smiled.

'Why is it so much easier to get along with Gorons and Zoras than it is with humans?' He wondered thoughtfully to himself. His thoughts immediately turned to Zelda. He sighed as he remembered that he was supposed to be upset with her. Link wasn't one for holding grudges, it took too much energy and mental space to be worth it. 'I could just go tell her that I'm over it I guess.' He considered. 'I just hope that she's not planning on keeping a grudge.' He thought cringing slightly. 'But that's not really in Zelda's personality.' He reminded himself and relaxed.

After another half hour or so he excused himself and began to walk back to the village. Epona had wandered off and Link didn't see the need to call her so he just continued to walk the rest of the way.

The glowing lights through the windows greeted him as he neared the shaman's house. He quickened his pace and quietly walked through the doors. The others had clearly already eaten and were now sitting around the fire in the circular room. Ashei and Hugh were sitting next to each other and from the way Ashei was waving her arms around it was clear she was describing something, while Hugh calmly listened with a small smile resting on his face. Shad looked very relaxed and was in a discussion with Auru and Renado. Zelda sat a little ways off from Ashei and the small form of Luda was curled up next to her with her head on Zelda's lap. Link felt a warm glow as he watched Zelda shift the blanket so it covered Luda, then as she stroked the girl's hair away from her face.

"Welcome back Link." Renado called to him.

Link smiled and walked closer to the group.

"Darbus sent a message that you were visiting with them so we wouldn't become worried." Renado told him.

"That was very kind of him." Link said. "How have each of you been?"

"Not bad," Ashei spoke up. "Renado here stuffed us full of food so I can't complain. Oh and it turns out Hugh's pretty good at target practice." She said happily

"What she means by that is I make a good target, which is how things turned out." Hugh added

"Yeah it was great, he barely moved! So I didn't end up hitting him." She said with a smirk

Link was still trying to think up a response to that statement when Zelda spoke up.

"I think I'll take Luda up to bed now, she's very tired." She said, speaking quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping girl.

"I'll help." Link said quickly

Zelda murmured a thank you and allowed Link to pick up the girl from her lap. After situating Luda so she had her arms around Link's neck, he lifted her and began to walk upstairs with Zelda in tow. With a bit of instruction from Zelda, Link managed to find Luda's room easily. He set her on her bed and watched as Zelda covered her with the blanket.

"You'd make a good mother." Link commented.

Zelda blushed and looked away. "Yeah right." She answered with a snort

"You really don't know how to take a compliment." Link said with a roll of his eyes.

Zelda frowned at him before walking into the hall.

Link berated himself silently for saying that.

"Sorry." Link told her quietly.

"No it's alright," Zelda quickly assured him.

They stood there in awkward silence.

"How was visiting-"

"About earlier-"

They both started to speak at the same time before stopping

"You go first." Link said motioning with his hand.

"Oh, I was just going to ask how things went while you were visiting the Gorons." She said haltingly

"Oh! Um yeah, it was fine. Chatted some things out. So that's always good, I think I know what I'm going to do now." Link answered nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Really?" Zelda asked curiously

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go see the king of Norachre." He explained

Zelda frowned contemplatively. "I could see how that would be a good idea. Although I'm not sure if it will work." She said with a lopsided smile.

"Well, only one way to find out." Link said with a shrug.

Zelda nodded. "Let's go talk to the others. I'm sure they'll have an opinion or two."

They began to walk towards the stairs to lead to the lower level when Zelda a spun back around to face him.

"Wait, what were you going to say earlier?" She asked curiously

"Oh, it's nothing." Link said with a dismissive motion.

"No really, tell me." Zelda insisted

"I-" Link stopped to collect his thoughts. "I just wanted to tell you that, I'm not angry with you about before. I know you have your reasons, and I'm sorry that I snapped at you." He said finally

Zelda looked taken aback for a moment before she answered.

"I see, umm well that kind of makes what I was going to tell you harder." She said with a wince.

"Sorry?" Link said confused

"I figured that it wasn't fair that I keep my reasons from you, especially after all you've done for me." She said all in one breath

"Umm okay?" He said not sure how else to respond.

"I guess the first reason, is because I had to." Zelda said with a sigh. "I knew it wasn't possible to send a group of highly trained people to the border of Norachre, without the king getting upset, so I sent a messenger to him to explain why you would be going."

"Wait, how would he know that we were there?" Link interrupted

"Oh he has spies in my castle; it wouldn't take long to figure it out." She responded nonchalantly

Link starred as her for a minute longer. "You seem awfully calm about that."

"Hmm? Well, it's not like it's surprising, I'm sure there are lots of spies in the castle."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you have spies in his castle?" He questioned

Zelda looked at the ceiling and put a finger to her mouth in a contemplative gesture. "Who knows? Maybe."

Link rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Continue." He said

"Ah, yes so I got a letter back saying that he was alright with it on one condition. That I go with you." She concluded.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, and when you think about it makes sense, I mean most rulers wouldn't go with a group that's planning on attacking another country. So I decided to go along with it, but I couldn't tell the council about it, so I have Telma filling in for me at the moment."

"Telma?"

"Yeah, I would send her letters what to do. I set things up so that people can't come in to see me because I'm 'sick' so I would only be communicating by note." She said with a self-satisfied smile.

"And that works?"

"Surprisingly yes."

They stood there for a bit longer while Link contemplated the information.

"Well that does fill in some gaps; but why dress up as Sheik?"

"I figured that you wouldn't let me come along otherwise, and-" she paused and looked away.

"And?"

"And because I wanted you to take me seriously." She admitted.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I didn't want everyone to constantly be fighting for me, and be running around trying to protect me." Zelda explained with a sigh. "I wanted to actually be useful, and to be able to enjoy the time away from being a princess for once."

Link looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"Ok." He said finally

"Ok? That's it? You're not mad?" She asked in surprise

"Nope. It makes sense. Just next time don't lie to me and we shouldn't have a problem." He said with a small smile.

"Sounds good." Zelda agreed.

They walked back down to the main room and seated themselves down around the fire.

"So, I've made up my mind." Link announced. "I'm going to Norachre to talk to the king."

The members of the resistance shrugged and nodded.

"Ok, we'll come with." Ashei said

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose this on anyone, you are all more than welcome to stay here. Or go back home." Link said seriously

"Well, you're not getting rid of me." Ashei said with a grin.

"I would like to come also." Shad said next.

"Myself as well." Auru said with a nod.

"I'm in." Hugh said cheerfully.

"I would also like to come if you all will have me." Zelda put in.

Link smiled gratefully at each of them.

"Leave tomorrow then?" He asked

"Whatever you say boss." Hugh responded with a grin.

A/N Hey everyone I wanted to thank you for all the really nice reviews they mean so much to me!

Other thing I wanted to mention, I'm considering making drawings of the original characters in this story, would that be something you guys would be interested in seeing? Let me know. Again thanks for reading!


	13. The Joys of Travel

The sun rose on a warm, clear day. The wind rushed through the trees causing a musical effect to surround the village. Hugh was the first one out of the house, not wanting to be part of the rather chaotic waking up ritual. A loud yell from behind the door gave him the incentive to move even farther away from the shaman's house. As he walked away he considered where he would go. He still wasn't sure where everything was, being as this was his first time visiting the small Kakariko village. Though he wasn't familiar with it he did enjoy the time he had spent in it. It reminded him strongly of his own village before it had been destroyed. Hugh thought about his village often but he wasn't concerned about it. He was confident that the men he left in charge would take care of things.

A slamming door caught his attention and he noticed Link exiting the inn. The swordsman intrigued him, he hadn't spent enough time with him to really know him, but he respected him. Link was clearly in his own little world, as he passed Hugh without noticing him standing there.

Hugh watched idly as Link walked over by the shaman's house, then as he was shocked out of his reverie when Ashei came storming out of the house. Link quickly jumped out of the way as Ashei marched towards the spring. Her hair was sticking up in all directions she looked absolutely livid. Given this information Link opted for moving out of the line of fire and went to visit the horses. Hugh, on the other hand, smirked at the sight and walked over to her.

Ashei was viciously splashing water over her face when Hugh approached the spring edge. He sat down next to her and simply waited.

"What do you want?" Ashei growled.

"Nothing." Hugh answered cheerfully.

"Well then shove off; I don't want to be around anyone." Ashei said before turning back to the spring.

Hugh didn't bother replying, he just continued sitting there quietly.

"What are you deaf?" Ashei said in frustration turning back to him.

"No, I just don't feel like moving." Hugh responded as he flashed her a smile.

"Keep that up and you'll be hurting pretty soon." She threatened.

"Nah, you're just saying that to make me feel better." He teased

Ashei glared at him for a couple of seconds before sighing.

"I'm too tired for this, and I can't stay mad at you." She slumped in defeat.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Hugh said happily

They were silent for a while longer before Ashei looked back at him.

"How long are you going to come with us?" She asked, clearly now calmed down.

"As long as it takes I guess." Hugh answered looking up at the sky.

"As long as it takes to do what?" She returned

"To avenge the people who have died." He said quietly

Ashei looked at him for a bit before continuing. "Well at least I'll have someone to talk to." She said with a shrug.

Hugh smiled but it turned to a slight frown as his attention was caught behind her. Ashei curiously turned to look as well. Link was by the door talking to the princess but she was wearing her sheikah outfit. Hugh shuttered at the idea of needing to be completely covered, especially in the warm weather. He much preferred his lightweight vest that allowed for free movement. He had noticed that Ashei had changed into a t-shirt with gauntlets instead of her normal shirt-armor duo because of the heat.

"Yikes, looks like Link isn't taking it very well." Ashei commented.

"Taking what well?" Hugh asked

"Zelda told me she's going to travel in her disguise." Ashei explained

"Why doesn't Link like it?" He said with a confused frown.

"Not a clue." Ashei admitted. "Although it might have something to do with being upset with Zelda lying to him." She added thoughtfully.

"He looks like he's taking it ok to me." Hugh objected.

"Nah, he's just hiding it well." Ashei disagreed.

Just then Link and Zelda turned toward the spring and caught sight of Ashei and Hugh staring at them. Link rolled his eyes while Zelda looked like she was stifling a laugh. Hugh got up and brushed himself off.

"I'm going to go get my horse. See ya" He told Ashei before walking off in the direction Link had gone.

Link leaned his head against the back of the house. The day had just begun and he already felt drained. He wasn't sure why seeing Zelda in her Sheikah outfit bothered him so much, but he had lost all motivation. Hugh rounded the corner and stopped and stared at him. Link just looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"What's up?" Hugh asked as he began to tack his horse.

"Just tired I guess." Link lied

"Yep girls will do that." Hugh commented with a short laugh.

"What?" Link asked as he frowned.

"I said, girls will do that to you. Just be glad you got a relatively calm one." He expanded

"Are you talking about Zelda?" Link asked

Hugh looked at him like he was dumb. "Obviously, who did you think I was talking about?"

Link didn't bother responding.

"So have you asked her yet?" Hugh continued after a while.

Link sighed. "Asked her what?"

"If she'll date you." Hugh stated calmly

"What!?" Link exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly.

Hugh chuckled. "You're funny."

"Wh-but - how- what are you talking about?!" He stuttered.

"Wow, you've really got bad haven't you?" Hugh teased

"Hugh!" He yelped glancing back to see if Zelda had heard

"Alright! Alright! Chill!" Hugh smirked while putting his hands up in mock surrender

"I can't ask her to date me! It's just not possible, how did you even come to that conclusion?!" Link hissed

"Ok, first of all, calm down man. Second it's pretty obvious that you like her. Plus what's the big deal? Of course you can ask her to date you." Hugh responded calmly.

Link groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "I can't even think of her like that." He explained tiredly. "She's a princess, I'm a farm hand! It just doesn't work."

Hugh now looked utterly bored. "I think we both know that you're above just a 'farmhand'. I mean come on, think about it. If you would say yes, Zelda probably would make you second in command of the kingdom!"

Link looked away.

"So we can definitely say that that is not an issue. So what's the problem now?" Hugh continued, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I- I guess, I just never let myself think about it, it just doesn't seem possible." Link responded

"It's possible," Hugh assured. "So why not give it a try?"

Link looked at Hugh then rolled his eyes.

"You're one to talk. Why not take your own advice." Link retorted calmly.

Hugh stiffened. "Watch it."

Now it was Link's turn to laugh.

"See? Not so easy is it?" He teased.

"Shut up." Hugh grumbled. "I'm workin' on it."

They both looked at each other and smirked. Just then Shad came around the corner with Auru in tow.

"Mornin'" Auru greeted.

"Good morning, Hugh, Link." Shad waved.

"Hello." Link responded.

"So how long until we leave?" Auru asked.

"That's up to the girls. And who knows how long that will take" Hugh answered looking around.

As they finished speaking Ashei and Zelda came into view already atop their respective horses with all their gear packed in the saddlebags.

"You guys aren't ready yet?" Ashei asked in surprise

The men turned and looked at each other before all turning to tack their horses. Hugh leaned over to Link.

"I guess less time than I thought." Hugh whispered.

Link grinned. "I guess even you have some things to learn." He whispered back.

The group decided to take a different route to the border Norachre than before. This time they opted to go straight through instead of passing by Hugh's village and the dragon's cave.

"So how long does it take to get there?" Hugh asked Auru.

The group had over time split into three group traveling one behind the other. Hugh and Auru took up the front since they knew the area the best and Auru had actually been to the capital before. Behind them followed Shad and Ashei. The two had been bickering almost incessantly since the moment they left. Then taking up the back was Link and Zelda.

"I estimate about three days, providing that we stop at night." Auru responded to Hugh's question.

Hugh looked over his shoulder. "Will they be able to last three days without tearing each other's heads off?" He asked in regards to Ashei and Shad.

Auru also looked over his shoulder.

"Nah, they'll be fine. They do that all the time, I mean, they're basically brother and sister. You learn to ignore it after a while." Auru commented.

Hugh smirked. "And what does that make you? Their father?" He joked.

Auru frowned. "Huh, I guess so..." He responded with a wide smile.

Link slumped in his saddle. His eyes kept being inadvertently drawn to Zelda. She sat calmly on her onyx mare as if she didn't have a care in the world. Link found himself studying her again when she sighed.

"What?" She demanded

Link guiltily looked away.

"You've been staring at me for the past hour, what is it?" She repeated.

"Sorry, I'll stop." Link muttered.

"It's the Sheikah outfit isn't it?" Zelda pressed

Link winced. "Yeah, a little." He admitted

She shook her head. "It really bothers you that much?"

"No, not really, it's more what it represents." Link said struggling to find the words.

Zelda looked at him confused. "Explain."

"I guess it's ... Sheik filled the gap for me." Link answered finally

Zelda waited quietly for him to continue

"The gap left by Midna." He finished

Zelda looked at the ground. "I miss her too." She told him sadly. "But Sheik is still here."

Link smiled sadly. "It's not the same. But thank you."

"I understand, just know that if you need someone to talk to, I'm more than willing to oblige." She told him kindly

"Thanks." Link said with a nod of his head.

A few minutes later Hugh came riding back.

"Just a heads up Auru says that we're going to have to lead the horses over the next bit, the ground is really unstable and there are hidden holes that we'll have to look out for." He informed them.

"Alright." Zelda responded while dismounting,

"How long is the stretch?" Ashei asked.

"A couple hours max." Hugh responded.

They each dismounted and began to carefully lead the horses. The ground didn't look much different than before, but it became clear once they began to walk on it that it had changed. It seemed too made up as if someone had taken plates of rock and stacked them on top of each other in a very criss-cross manner. There were obvious gaps where a person could see quite far down without much difficulty, but there were also smaller ones that would appear without warning from the rocks breaking under the weight. Shad had the misfortune of tripping on one of these holes and falling but thankfully was uninjured other than a few bruises. The mid-morning breeze helped to keep the travelers cool, seeing as there was no obvious shelter for a few miles in either direction. The hours passed relatively quickly as the group enjoyed quite a bit of playful banter to pass the time. All were very happy when they reached the end of the unpredictable terrain and decided to stop for a break.

After watering the horses Shad began to hand out food to the group.

"So how much more of this kind of ground is there after this?" Ashei asked after receiving her food.

"There shouldn't be any more like this, but we will run into the desert sometime tomorrow." Auru answered before taking another bite of his bread.

"There's no way around it?" Link asked curiously.

"Not really, we would have to take a long detour into the grasslands, which would tack on at least another day and a half on our journey." Auru said with a shake of his head. "You see Norachre has three distinctive terrains," he explained as he picked up a stick and began to draw in the dirt. "There's the desert which runs along the major part of the border of Hyrule and Norachre. Then there's the forest area, that's up north." He continued drawing a jagged line near the top of his drawing. "Then there's the capital is abutting the forest and desert. Finally there's the grasslands, which takes up most the rest of the province." He finished by drawing a line that separated off almost a third of the drawing.

"Hm, so I guess the best way to get there is by cutting through the narrowest part of the desert here." Zelda commented picking up another stick and drawing a light line from the border through the desert area to the capital.

"That's the plan." Auru agreed.

"The only problem will be supplies, we have plenty of food but we might need to refill our water at some point and these lakes change location based on what time of year it is." Zelda pointed out

"Well we could actually make use of the canoe race prize we got." Link spoke up holding up the compass.

"That'll work." Zelda agreed

"So do you think we'll reach the border today?" Shad clarified

"Yep, we'll probably reach it by mid-afternoon." Auru stated.

"Well then I guess we should be going." Hugh put in.

"Sounds good." Ashei agreed.

Ashei was bored. It was a little after noon and she was beginning to get quite annoyed with her inability to do anything besides ride this stupid horse. On almost all of her other adventures she had had monsters to fight or mountains she had to climb, but now it was just a matter of waiting until they arrived. She glanced over at Zelda who had ended up riding next to her when Auru had insisted that Shad and Ashei be separated for the sanity of the rest of the group. Now Shad was behind her yammering away to Link about some obscure topic.

"Hey," she called to Zelda. "What are we supposed to call you now? Sheik or Zelda?" She asked

"I think it would be best if you call me Sheik, that way we're less likely to run into trouble." Zelda answered

"Trouble?" Ashei repeated raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, most of the citizens of Norachre still hold grudges against the Hylians, so they find out that I'm their ruler, we could end up with more than one fight on our hands when we arrive." Zelda pointed out.

"IF we ever arrive." Ashei groaned

"Stop being so melodramatic." Zelda scolded.

Ashei glared at her for a while, then realized it wasn't having any effect so began sharpening her daggers.

Later on Hugh rode back to talked to Zelda.

"Auru said he wants to talk to you about something. I think it has to do with crossing the border but I'm not sure." He told her

"Alright, thank you for telling me." Zelda responded before riding up to be beside Auru.

Hugh and Ashei rode in silence for a few minutes, aside from the sound of Ashei sharpening her dagger.

"You've been awfully quiet since Shad and you got separated." Hugh commented

"Yep, now I don't have anyone to argue with." She complained

"You could just talk to people... You know instead of arguing with them." Hugh pointed out.

"Why would I do that?" Ashei smirked.

"Because that's what most humans do." He answered with a roll of his eyes.

"Well then I guess I'm not human." Ashei retorted.

Hugh took a couple seconds to try to make sense of her statement before giving up and saying "Your logic is dizzying."

"Just wait until I get going." She teased.

"I think I'll pass this time, but check back in with me later." He grinned.

"If you two are finished," Zelda said smiling as she rode back to them. "I just came back to tell you that we're going to need to be on high alert once we pass the border, bandits tend to hover in this area looking for easy marks."

"Yes!" Ashei exclaimed, throwing her fist in the air in delight.

Hugh started to snicker but did his best to hide it, while Zelda just stared at her.

"Uh, I mean that's bad... We'll have to be careful." Ashei quickly covered up while looking to the side.

"Right... Anyway I'm going to go tell Link and Shad." Zelda said riding off.

Ashei began to laugh evilly to herself as she got her bow out of her saddlebag. Notching an arrow she took a practice aim out at the surrounding area.

"Expecting trouble?" Hugh asked in an amused tone.

"I hope so, then I wouldn't be so bored." She said with a grin

Hugh didn't respond.

"What, don't like fights?" Ashei taunted.

"What do you think?" Hugh snapped not looking at her.

"What? All I said was... Oh I- I'm sorry, I didn't think." Ashei stuttered

"I'm not in favor of putting people I care about in harm's way just for some sport." Hugh said quietly still looking straight ahead.

Ashei looked away.

"Great, now I feel horrible." She murmured.

"I'm sorry," Hugh said turning to look at her once again. "I shouldn't inflict my opinions on others."

"No, you're right; I shouldn't take fighting so lightly." Ashei grumbled.

They stayed quiet after that, just listening to the conversations of their other travel companions.

Link smiled slightly at something Shad had said. Shad had the uncanny ability to never run out of topics of discussion.

"Oh Link look!" Shad said excitedly

Link glanced searching for the object of Shad's attention. After a couple of seconds he spotted the thing Shad was pointing at. A few feet in the distance was a large tattered sign; it read a single word: 'Norachre'.

"I guess we've arrived." Link said simply

Shad nodded happily. "I've often thought about visiting Norachre but never could find a good reason to."

"What? A fire-breathing dragon isn't a good enough reason?" Link smirked.

"Not at all, I'm just pleased that this part of the journey is strictly getting from point a to point b. I don't do very well under stressful circumstances." He said with a sigh

"Well, that's not all a bad thing. We need scholars just as much as fighters." Link assured him.

Shad smiled shyly. "I'm thinking of trying to cut down on my adventuring after this though." He admitted.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I thought I would turn my attention to other pursuits." He explained

"Like a wife?" Link asked curiously

Shad blushed. "Perhaps, I hadn't really thought about it." He said nervously

Link smiled kindly. "Well she would be a very lucky woman to end up with you."

A yell up ahead grabbed their attention. Sheik and Auru jumped into position with their sword and bow as a group of men with their face covered jumped out in front of them. Link urged Epona forward as he drew his sword. Ashei and Hugh also join the fray causing a great amount of dust build up. The bandits were about 15 in number and were quite easily overtaken. Link notched an arrow and shot the last one in the side, just enough to injure but not kill.

He calmly dismounted and walked over to him. Pulling a bandage from his pocket he gently began to wrap the wound.

"What are you doing?" The bandit asked weakly

"I'm making sure you don't bleed out." Link answered

"Why? We attacked you." He spat out harshly, then took a sharp intake of breath as Link pulled the bandage tight.

"That doesn't mean you need to die, and now maybe you'll reconsider you choice of employment." He responded expressionless.

He left the man there and moved to the next, bandaging major wounds and giving small portions of potions to those that needed it. Once Link was sure none of them would die he returned to Epona. As he rode past Hugh silently handed him a bottle with potion in it. Link glanced at him before accepting it.

"To replace yours." Hugh said simply

Link nodded and put the bottle in his pocket.

By mid-evening they had made good progress and were very close to reaching the edge of the desert. By general consent the group came to a halt and began to set up camp. Zelda said she had seen at a distance a place she could take the horses for water, Shad chose to accompany her to help. Auru and Link set to work laying out the beds while Ashei made a fire and Hugh got the food. Within a half hour camp was fully set up and the food was on its way to being finished.

Sitting himself down, Link out his hands behind his head and leaned back against a rock. Auru sat down next to him and pulled out a knife and a small square of wood. Opening his eyes slightly Link glanced at the wood curiously.

"Carving?" He asked, venturing a guess.

"That's right. Keeps the hands busy and the mind free to wander." Auru said happily

Link smiled and closed his eyes again listening to the sounds of the knife scraping pieces off the wood. Hugh joined them a few minutes later and sat across from them cross-legged. He idly watched Auru while they waited.

"They're back." Ashei called from above them. She had quickly claimed the single tree that they had chosen to camp near and had been sitting on one of the higher branches as soon as the group had competed set up.

Link glanced to the side to see Zelda and Shad returning. They quickly tethered the horses and came to join them. Zelda went to check that the food wasn't burning while Shad settled himself under the tree that Ashei was perched in.

Zelda announced that the food was ready and Link quickly got up to help her hand it out.

Dinner passed quietly with each lost in their own thoughts.

"Well I'm off to bed." Shad said breaking the silence

"Already?" Hugh teased

"Yep." Shad said not even bothering rising to the taunt.

After Shad left Ashei hopped down from the tree and sat cross-legged next to Zelda.

"So 'Sheik' what's the king like?" Ashei asked nonchalantly

"I honestly don't know." Zelda replied as she stared into the fire.

"You haven't met him?" Link asked curiously

"No, I only know him by his letters and those are usually simply about business." She answered

"Don't you have some sort of formality where all the leaders come and meet up every year or something?" Hugh asked

Zelda thought a second. "Well we do have a meeting every two years between the kingdoms but no one ever comes, they just send a representative, so after a while it became just a formality where nothing really serious is discussed."

"Seems kind of pointless." Ashei remarked

"It keeps everyone passive." She sighed

"I'm just glad I don't have that kind of responsibility." Link said

"Same here." Ashei agreed

"I think you would do quite well at it Link." Zelda retorted

"If I had to, maybe but I'm more comfortable with my normal life." Link said with a yawn.

"Normal life?" Hugh grinned. "Fighting dragons is normal?" He teased

"Well I guess it's more normal to fight a crazy powerful madman bent on world domination, but I'm ok with a change of pace." Link replied happily

"Except, you know, there's Arnold... He is pretty powerful, he's definite crazy, and as far as I can tell he wants to take over the world." Ashei pointed out

"Yup, so I should feel right at home." Link said flashing her a smile.

"I think you need to find a new life." Ashei joked.

Link smirked. "What about you? What's your normal life?" He returned

"Climbing mountains, taking part in revolutions and correcting stereotypes would probably sum it up quite nicely." She said making a show of counting them off on her fingers.

They all laughed.

"Come one we've done everyone but you," she said after they finished laughing. She pointed to Hugh. "What's your normal?"

"Mines not nearly as exciting as yours." Hugh brushed off.

"Oh come on, fess up." Ashei prodded

"I guess normal for me use to be just working at the farm and taking care of my sister, but now it seems more like I need to take care of everyone. It's like my family has just increased to include more people, so I need to make sure that their well looked after." He said with a shy smile and shrug.

They all sat quietly for a moment longer when Ashei spoke again.

"Well it sounds like a pretty good normal to me." She smiled. "Could have used some monsters but overall it's not bad." She teased.

Hugh chuckled "Thanks I think?"

Sand and wind whipped at her braided hair, tearing the black cloak into the air behind her back and flapping it about like a tattered flag. Zelda reached back and pulled the cloak tighter around her body in an attempt to shield herself from the wind. Readjusting her cowl she looked out and the expansive desert they had begun to cross. The first few hours had been almost pleasant consisting of only a few hot gusts of air and the occasional squabbles of Ashei and Shad. However now things had taken a sudden turn for the worst with continuous attacks of sandstorms. After the first one had hit, the group had quickly covered as much of their skin as they possibly could to avoid getting torn apart by the relentless sand winds. Glancing around her she saw that Auru, Ashei and Shad weren't doing much better. Hugh looked like he was dealing the worst as he shuttered desolately, his arms wrapped around himself trying to create an additional protective barrier for his body. His normal open vest and sandals were replaced by one of Auru's thick shirts and a pair of Link's boots as well as a matching black cloak that Zelda had produced for each of them. The only one who didn't seem bothered by the storm was Link. He sat calmly on Epona not bothering to try and cover his face any more than usual. He noticed her looking and waved, he then put up his hand with four of his fingers raised. Slowly he began to count down with his fingers until only one remained. The moment he ticked off the final one the sand winds suddenly abated. Smiling happily he brushed some of the excess sand off his gauntlets and faced forward again.

"How did you do that?" Zelda demanded in awe.

"Do what?" Link asked curiously

"How did you know when the storm was going to stop?"

"Oh, the pitch sound of the wind changes when it's about to stop. Figured that out in the Gerudo desert, it makes traveling a lot easier." He explained.

"Can you tell when it's going to start up again?" Zelda asked

"Sure, but we won't be getting one for another hour or so." He estimated.

"How c-" she began to ask.

"Oh thank the three goddesses!" Hugh said loudly. He quickly began to take the black cloak off and shake the sand out of his hair, obviously pleased to be able to move freely again. "How ANYONE lives in this climate is beyond me." He grumbled.

Zelda and Link snickered at Hugh's reaction.

"I guess they do it to get away from people." Link pointed out.

"Well it works, they won't have me coming as a frequent visitor." He declared.

Ashei rode closer to them laughing at Hugh.

"How in the name of Hyrule did you manage to get so much sand in your hair?" She asked

"I don't know, it just happened." He pouted

She laughed again then pulled her horse up next to his. He looked at her confused when she brought her hands up near his head.

"Come on you big idiot, move your head down." She commanded.

Hugh complied and Ashei began to, rather fiercely, shake her hands through his hair in an attempt to dislodge the sand.

Link could help but grin as he watched the mounds of sand pour out, with Ashei getting more and more irritated as it continued to fall.

"Why do you have so much hair?" She demanded as she shook his hair harder.

"It's not like I've really had time to get it cut." He mumbled.

When the stream of sand finally halted Ashei sat back on her horse very pleased with herself then began to ride forward again after Auru and Shad. Hugh lifted his head and gazed after her, his faced slightly flushed.

Link glanced at him with a sly smirk. Hugh glanced over and caught the look.

"Not a word." He hissed

Link smiled wider. "Wouldn't think of it." He said happily.

Hugh rode ahead as well leaving Zelda and Link again.

"What was that all about?" She asked archly

"Oh nothing. Just an ongoing joke." Link responded.

"Would this ongoing joke something to do with a not so secret crush?" She asked knowingly.

"Perhaps." He replied

They both smiled and urged their horses forward to catch up to the group. The calm hour passed and Link told them that they would be heading into another sandstorm. They readjusted their cloaks in preparation, Hugh grumbling about it the whole time. Within minutes the winds picked up and left them all trying to shield themselves from the sand. With storms coming and going the groups finally made it to the desert river around mid-afternoon.

"I never thought I would be so happy to see water." Auru said as it came into view.

"Yeah, we should be able to avoid the storms if we stay close to it." Shad pointed out.

Dismounting they each led their horses so they could drink then began to fill their water pouches and bottles. Splashing some water in his face Link sighed with relief, glad to be rid of the grim that had begun to build up.

"So this river runs through the whole desert?" Ashei asked to no one specific.

"Yes, it's the reason that anything can survive out here." Zelda responded.

"And it's why the Gerudo chose to locate their fortress out here." Auru added.

Hugh rolled his eyes at that. "Again, they have to be bat crazy to choose to live out here, even if there is a water supply."

"Oh quit complaining, at least we're past sandstorms." Ashei shot back.

"Different subject; how long until we reach the capital?" Link interjected

"We'll reach the first town before sundown, so we should be able to see the king early tomorrow." Auru answered

"Should we know the king's name before we get there?" Ashei asked

"Didn't I tell you already?" Zelda asked surprised.

They all indicated that she hadn't.

"His name is Kaori. He is 29 and he has a seven year old son named Tobias." She told them

"No wife?" Link asked

"No she died three years ago in an accident, the details of which I haven't been able to learn about yet." Zelda explained.

"Well I feel more comfortable knowing who we're going to see." Shad said

"Very true... So shall we continue on?" Hugh suggested.

The desert cut off very suddenly and melded into hard packed dirt with a few patches of trees covering the ground. Within minutes of passing out of the desert they caught sight of a small town. Just as dusk began to paint the sky they rode into the town.

"I like it." Ashei remarked as they dismounted. "It's not as big as castle town but it's nice all the same."

"Norachre is more focused on creating towns rather than villages so they try to make sure that they are paved and have stone buildings. I think it makes them feel more secure." Zelda commented.

Hugh had been speaking with a blacksmith that was working near where they stopped their horses. He then returned and said.

"He said that the town inn is just a few buildings that way." He pointed to the right.

"Good to know, did he happen to mention if there was anywhere to keep out horses?" Auru asked

"Yes, he said that they had a stable right next to the inn for that." Hugh replied

"Well what are we waiting for then?" Ashei asked as she remounted.

They rode to the inn then dismounted giving the reins to the stable boy who came out to meet them. Walking into the inn they found that the lower level was a tavern of sorts with a stairway to the rooms above. They made their way towards the perky, blond girl who was working behind the bar.

"Welcome to the Lion's inn how can I help you?" She greeted them with a bright smile.

"We would like to reserve some rooms for tonight please." Auru smiled back

"Excellent, and how many rooms will you be needing?" She asked as she brought out a book and pencil.

Auru looked at the group, his eyes lingering on Zelda and Ashei.

"Three should do." He told her.

She scribbled in the book and handed him three keys.

"The rooms are up the stairs and to the left, rooms 7, 8 and 9. Enjoy your stay!" She told them happily.

They thanked her and made their way upstairs. As they reached the rooms Link turned to the group and asked.

"Um am I the only one who's wondering who is going to be in which room?" He said carefully.

"Yeah I was wondering that too, it's not like Ze-I mean Sheik can stay with Ashei, it wouldn't look right." Hugh agreed.

"I was a little concerned about that but I figured getting four rooms would look suspicious." Auru explained. "So I guess it's up to you Sheik, who would you feel most comfortable rooming with, seeing as we can't fit more than three to a room you're going to have to bunk in with someone.

Zelda looked between the four of them carefully before speaking.

"I think it would be most appropriate if I share a room with master Auru seeing as I've known him the longest." She responded.

"Fair enough, we'll hang a blanket down the middle of the room so you can have your privacy." Auru said

They then split off into the different rooms, Ashei in the first, Auru and Zelda in the next, and Hugh, Link, and Shad in the last.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Link offered as they walked into the room and saw that there were only two beds.

"You don't have too, I don't mind." Hugh told him.

Link reached into the neck of his tunic and pulled out his wolf stone.

"It's all good, I think I would be the most comfortable with it." He said with a small smile.

"Alright if you say so." Hugh agreed before walking over to one of the beds and flopping down on it.

"I'm going to sleep a bit before dinner." He announced

"I think I hear Auru leaving the room so I'm going to go meet up with him." Shad said as he walked towards the door.

"And I'm going to go explore a bit, see ya." Link said, but instead of going to the door he walked over to the small window of their room and climbed out before jumping up to the roof. He paused as he heard Hugh's startled voice. He positioned himself so he was hanging upside down and was looking through the window he had just exited from. Hugh was somewhat frantically looking at the ground below.

"Hugh?" Link called down

"Agh! How did you get up there?!" Hugh yelled at him

"I climbed?"

"Why would you go out a window!? I thought you had died!" He exclaimed

Link frowned slightly confused. "What, you thought that you having a nap would make me want to kill myself?"

Hugh paused incredulously for a moment. "No, ju-just don't jump out windows! You almost gave me a heart attack! Don't you care about my health?"

Link stared at him blankly for a couple of seconds. "Weren't you going to have a nap?"

Hugh growled in frustration while making wringing motions with his hands. "Yes! Yes I need one now for my nerves thanks to you!" He left the window but Link could still hear him grumbling to himself; something along the lines of 'crazy', 'inconsiderate', and 'unnatural'.

Smiling to himself, Link moved so he was once again standing on the roof. As he looked he found that the many of the roofs went even higher than the one he was currently on. He easily moved from one roof to the next because they were built very close together. Making his way to the tallest one in the area he sat down and gazed at the setting sun. From here he had a good view of the town they were now staying in; as Zelda had said almost everything was made from stone. Not wood or metal but stone. He noticed an overall bleak feeling that it exuded, yet it still had a kind of elegant beauty as well. His ears perked as they heard a sound behind him.

"I thought I saw someone." Zelda said

Link smiled. "Should have known I wasn't the only one who likes tall buildings."

"How did you get up here?" she asked as she sat down next to him.

"Climbed out a window, freaked Hugh out. You?"

"Scaled the wall." Zelda returned with a grin. She began unwrapping the bandages she had tied around her head as well as lower the cowl that covered her face. As the last of her light brown hair was freed she sighed with relief.

"Never thought long hair could be such a nuisance." She said as she ran her fingers through it getting rid of loose tangles.

"At least it looks nice."

Zelda smiled. Silence past between them as the town quietly bustled around below them.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Link asked quietly.

"Not yet." She replied

Link pulled his legs up and rested his arms on his knees. "Not yet?" He repeated

"I find things don't bother me until right in the moment." She admitted

"Well I guess that could be good or it could be bad." Link chuckled

"Depends on the situation I guess." She smirked "I remember my father getting so nervous before events that he often wouldn't eat the night before, I'm glad that doesn't happen to me."

"I don't know much about your father, what was he like?" Link asked as he rested his chin on his arms.

"He was very kind... He put on a show of being tough and aloof but he actually really loved people, my mother especially." She bit her lip and looked down.

"I bet you miss them, they sound like wonderful parents." Link empathized

"Yeah, but I did have them for 15 happy years, and that's more than some people." Zelda said gazing sadly at him.

Link smiled back. "I guess I barely even noticed, my village was my family. The adults were my parents and the kids were my brothers and sisters so I couldn't help but be happy."

Zelda smirked. "Even Ilia?" She teased.

"Yup, even Ilia. She was that annoying little sister that you couldn't help loving." He laughed.

"Do you find you get homesick when you're out adventuring?" Zelda questioned curiously

"Of course, but if I have other people around it's not as bad." Link replied

They smiled at each other. Link turned and looked at the sun that had almost disappeared from the horizon. Standing he brushed himself off.

"We'd better get back before they start to worry." Link mentioned. He leaned down with his hand outstretched. Zelda shyly took it and allowed him to help her to her feet. She also brushed herself off and began to rewrap her head and position her cowl. She finished within seconds and nodded to him.

"I enjoyed chatting with you Zelda." He said with a warm smile.

As they arrived back at the inn Link was greeted by Shad and Auru who were seated at one of the tables of the tavern.

"Hugh's still sleeping, but dinner is going to be ready soon do you mind going and getting him?" Shad asked

"Sure, I'll see you later Sheik." Link said before heading up the stairs.

He rounded the corner and walked into the room without bothering to knock. Hugh was lying on the bed reading a book. He glanced up as Link entered.

"Nerves calmed down yet?" Link teased

Hugh smirked. "Have fun on the roof? I noticed you had some company." He said as he turned his attention back to the book.

Link tensed slightly. "Yes as a matter of fact, Sheik ended up joining me." He said willing his voice to stay steady.

"Ah, and how did that go?" Hugh grinned even wider.

"Just fine. Now supper is ready, if you can tear yourself away from that book." He said turning to leave so as to hide his blush.

Hugh chuckled then pushed himself to his feet. "Yup, no problem, can understand half of that chicken scratch anyway." He walked past Link out into the hallway, his hands in his pockets.

"One of Shad's?" Link asked following after him.

"Yep, can't believe that guy spends so much of his energy on such an old civilization." Hugh sighed

They walked down the stairs and into the tavern. Stepping carefully around the rowdy drinkers and their tables. As they sat down Ashei came down the stairs and joined them. She had changed from her usual armor into a loose fitting shirt and pants.

"So where's the food?" She asked as she sat down between Hugh and Shad

"The waitress is bringing it now." Auru said glancing behind her

As he said this the cheerful blond girl came over to their table and placed a large plate in the middle with a large cooked cooco as well as some spare ribs and vegetables.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting such a feast." Ashei said drooling slightly as she stared covertly at the platter.

"Best in town." The girl said brightly, "Please enjoy, and let me know if I can get you anything else."

They all thanked her and began to hungry attack the food. Sheik even managed to eat some of the food without anyone noticing that the cowl had moved. After link finished he sat back with a sigh.

"I know is should feel weird about eating a cooco but I really don't." He said

"Why would you feel weird about that?" Ashei asked as she stuffed another large bite in her mouth.

"Because the last time I came into contact with a cooco it tried to kill me." Link laughed

"A cooco... Tried to kill you?"

"It's true, those things are vicious." Hugh said with a shudder

"And it gets even worse when they call the rest of the flock." Link commented

"You got attack by a whole flock!? How did you survive?" Hugh asked in shock

"It was a close call, I managed to jump into a lake then I had to swim to the other side before they finally left me alone. I've learned to get them a wide berth after that." Link rolled his eyes at the memory

They all laughed at his comment before returning to their meal.

"Well as the senior citizen of this group I'm going to head off to bed, adieu." Auru said with a small flourish as he stood.

"I'm going to get a drink, anyone want to join me?" Hugh asked

"Sure I'll come." Link said

"Count me in." Ashei answered

"I think I'll pass." Shad smiled

"Myself as well, can't drink well with this thing in the way." Zelda said with a gesture to the cowl

Shad and Zelda made their way back to the rooms while Hugh, Link and Ashei made their way to the second rooms with the bar.

"I'm curious to see how well the hero of Hyrule holds his ale." Hugh teased as he ordered for them

"I bet he'll pass out after a couple." Ashei predicted as she sat at one of the bar stools

"I guess we'll see." Link smirked with a shrug

A couple hours later Link was sipping nonchalantly at his second glass and watching Ashei and Hugh drunkenly slur at each other.

"There is no way that you can out drink me! Give up now!" Ashei declared as she clanged her umpteenth glass down on the bar.

Hugh groaned and bury his head in his arms on the table top. "Goddesses how can you hold that much liquor?" Came his muffled reply

"I can because I'm just that amazing." She sang as she stuck out her tongue

He shifted his head so he could look at out of the corner of his eye.

"Mmmhn, I guess that seems logical." He smiled as his eyelid began to droop

Ashei grabbed Hugh's half empty glass and chugged it down.

"Anything seems logical after a few of these." She snorted

She glanced down at him again.

"Will you please stop staring at me?" She demanded

"Can't" Hugh grinned

"Why not?" Ashes asked suspiciously

"Cuz you've captivated me." he murmured smiling, then immediately fell asleep, a small snore escaping his lips.

Link was shaking as he tried to hold back his laughter

"Oh he's going to be fun in the morning." he said with a wide smile

Ashei didn't respond for a while, she just simply stared at Hugh's sleeping form.

"We should get him to bed; he's going to be super hungover." She said getting to her feet

Link obliged, also standing as he drained the last of his drink and tossed a few coins to the barkeeper. Carefully lifting Hugh so he had an arm over Link's shoulder he half dragged Hugh towards the stairs with Ashei in tow. After much struggling he managed to get him up the stairs and to the door of their room. Ashei said a short goodnight and departed to her room while Link struggled to open the door with Hugh's dead weight still on his shoulder. Finally pulling them both into the room Link closed the door behind them and brought Hugh over to the bed, careful not to wake Shad. Hugh murmured something quietly before turning onto his side and settling into an even deeper sleep.

Link smiled to himself and began to remove his chainmail and hat. Setting them on the ground he pulled his stone from his tunic and gently set it against his skin. He let out a small hiss as the pain sparked through his body, transforming him into his alternate form. With a tired huff he flopped onto the ground, happily allowing sleep to claim him.


	14. The castle visit

Ashei woke up early, a rare occurrence and one she blamed on her hangover. Standing and walking over to her window had almost made her fall over but she was slowly managing to get it under control now. She strapped on her gauntlets and breastplate, then started to put on her boots, being careful not end up with her face planted on the floor. Those chores completed she began sharpening her sword. 'Got to be sure to make a good impression on the king.' She reasoned. After a while she inspected its edge and found it satisfactory. Sheathing her sword she stood up and looked out the window, it was just past dawn and Ashei decided that if she was going to be awake she wasn't going to be the only one. A wicked smile donning her face she left the room and walked into the boys room.

Surprisingly, her less than quiet entrance didn't wake any of the three.

'Must be more tired than I thought.' She shrugged as she walked past Link's wolf form to Hugh. Crouching down so she was on level with his face she smirked then poked his forehead a couple of times. This received a slight groan and some movement but nothing further. Smiling widely she repeated the gesture again. Slightly more movement and a frown, but still not awake. Ashei chuckled evilly to herself she went to the rooms bathroom and soaked one of the small towels with just enough water to not be dripping as she walked but still hold as much water as possible.

Sauntering back to Hugh she gleefully squeezed the towel, allowing it to dump its water onto Hugh's head.

"WHA-HEY!" Hugh sputtered as he rose with a start.

Ashei doubled over with laughter. "Your face!" She laughed again. "Priceless!"

It was then that Link woke up, immediately on alert, growling and his hair standing up, his eyes darted around.

"Aww, did the poor puppy wake up?" Ashei cooed

Link rolled his eyes and growled under under his breath. Shaking his head he allowed the stone to slip off and transform back. Back in his human form he brought a hand to his head tiredly.

"Ashei...was it really necessary to barge into our room and wake us in such an obnoxious manner?" Link asked glaring up at her through his fingers.

"Why not? It's much more fun this way." She shrugged with a smile

"Well you're all about fun aren't you." Hugh commented as he managed to get to his feet. He looked down at himself for the first time.

"Goddesses! Seriously? My vest is completely soaked!" He said rather loudly with an accusatory glare at Ashei.

Shad then groggily lifted his head from the pillow. "My goodness, what time is it?" He asked slightly slurred. He looked around to look out the window and after determining the basic time of morning he turned back to the three.

"No. Absolutely not. There is no way I am getting up this early if I don't have to." He said angrily then abruptly turned over and fell back asleep.

Hugh started laughing which caused him to start to fall over only to be caught by Link who had quickly jumped to his aid.

"Wow you really did get soaked." Link said as he help Hugh stand straight again. "I'm going to have to get changed by the end of is as well."

Hugh muttered an apology which Link waved off. Hugh decided that it would best if he got himself dry before getting ready so he removed his wet vest and Link hung it next to the window while Hugh caught the towel that Ashei threw him and began drying himself off. Link also removed his shirt to hang next to Hugh's so is would be dry by the time they need to leave.

"Oh my gosh, being in the same room with two shirtless guys, whatever shall I do?" Ashei mocked as she pretended to be flustered.

"It would take much more than this to get you flustered." Link grinned. He then rubbed his face yawned. "I am still super tired, I'm going back to sleep." He said and walked over and flopped down on Hugh's bed. "Make sure that Hugh doesn't look hungover when we leave." He instructed, his voice dropping off until with was a quiet snore.

"Wow, he must be really tired, and that's saying something considering I've seen him go for days without sleeping." Ashei said slightly surprised

"Yeah, well he hasn't been sleeping well." Hugh answered as he pulled a simple grey shirt over his head and came to stand next to her.

"Oh?"

"Nightmares, as far as I can tell. Basically every night he wakes up with a start then just sits there staring at nothing before eventually falling back asleep again." He related as he made his way to the door.

Ashei hummed her acknowledgment but didn't have anything further to say. Moving out of the room the two walked down to the next to empty main floor. With unspoken agreement they left the inn and began to travel down the well worn roads.

"He's not the only one." Ashei said finally

"Sorry?" Hugh said confused

"Sheik's been having the same kind of nightmares." Ashei elaborated

"The princess?" He repeated surprised

"Shh!" Ashei admonished

They both glanced around but none of the other early risers seemed to paying them any attention.

"Yeah," Ashei confirmed. "I've seen her do the same thing; wake with a start, stare blankly. Never talks about it though."

"Seems odd, can't just be a coincidence." Hugh remarked thoughtfully

Hugh and Ashei continued to walk silently, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Think it could be Arnold?" Hugh asked

"What about him?"

"You think he could be causing them?" Hugh continued

"To what end?"

"I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me." Hugh shrugged

"No clue sorry, besides it's not like we can do much of anything about it right now anyway. I guess if it gets worse we'll take care of it then." Ashei said reasonably

"Sounds fair enough." Hugh responded. "Another subject, do you have any idea where we're going?"

Ashei laughed. "Nope, I'm just airing you out so you look presentable for the king."

"Gee thanks, it's so nice to know that I'm an errand that needs to get done." Hugh joked despondently

"You're not just an errand!" Ashei said punching him in the shoulder

"Oh? Then what am I?" Hugh asked with a smirk

"Well I'm pretty sure you're human... At least you were last time I checked." She said pretending to seriously consider the matter.

"Ha ha very funny, come on really; what am I to you?" Hugh pushed glancing over at her as they walked.

"Oh shove off." Ashei rolled her eyes

"Come on!" Hugh teased. "You've got to have some thought on the matter!"

"I honestly can't believe we're still talking about this." Ashei said throwing her hands in the air

"You might as well answer." Hugh called in a sing song voice

"Are you kidding me?" Ashei said crossing her arms

"Cuz I'm going to keep bugging you if you don't." He continued

"My god you're such a kid." Ashei shook her head flushing slightly.

"Yep! So come on you can't get out of this just by insulting me." He said putting his hands behind the back of his head with a huge smile.

"Want do you want me to say!?" Ashei said her voice getting louder

"Oh I don't know maybe something along the lines of 'you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, I can't ever live without you!'"Hugh said in a high pitched voice.

"Like that's ever going to happen!" Ashei snorted

"Yeah that would actually be a bit scary if you said that." Hugh said after a moment. "So say something else. I'm genuinely curious now."

"Fine! If I say your a friend will you get off my back?" Ashei said with a mixture of frustration a embarrassment.

Hugh made a show of considering it then said. "I guess it will do for now." He said with a grin.

"For now?" Ashei repeated incredulously

"Yep." Hugh agreed with a laugh

Ashei laughed as well. "Ok now I've got a question for you."

"Hmm?"

"How much do you remember about last night?" She said with a wide smile

"Oh come on!" Hugh groaned

"No seriously!" Ashei laughed

"Why did I do something really embarrassing like burst into song or dance on tables?"

"Though it would be really fun to say 'yes' just to see your reaction, no you didn't."

Hugh laughed and jokingly wiped his forehead in a 'that was close' gesture.

"So what did I do?" Hugh asked with a small smile

"You sure you don't remember? Not even just before you passed out?" Ashei insisted

Hugh paused and looked as if he was uncertain as to how to reply.

"Why?" He asked swallowing

"You do remember!" Ashei said triumphantly

"Well not everything!" He said defensively

"Tell me what you meant!" She said suddenly

"What? Man, Ashei I was drunk why does it matter?" Hugh asked rubbing the back of his neck trying to avoid blushing.

"It matters because I've never had anyone tell me that I 'had captivated' them before! I don't understand what that's supposed to mean! I don't know why it makes me feel so weird! I just don't like not knowing! So explain it to me!" Ashei declared desperately

Hugh stared at her wide eyed.

"Did it really make you that unhappy?" He asked keeping eye contact.

"Wha- how can I know how I feel about it if I don't understand what it means?" She shot back

Hugh looked away and was silent.

"What? Why aren't you saying anything?" Ashei asked, much quieter now

"I think... it would be best if you figure that out on your own." He said softly. "Or at least you should ask someone other than me."

Ashei opened her mouth to object but something about his face caused her to bite back her reply and simply nod.

"Good! So do think I'm aired out enough? Should we head back?" He said cheerfully

"Well you'll have to get checked over by Zelda but I guess you'll do for now." She responded, forcing herself to be just as upbeat

The two arrived back at the inn just in time to see Auru walking out to the horse stable.

"Ah, I was wondering when the two of you would get back." He said as they came over. "Still a bit tipsy from last night?"

"Getting better, at least now I'm not falling over my own feet." Hugh replied with a laugh

"Yep, you should know better than to compete with me." Ashei boasted

"Ha! I was just off my game last night." Hugh declared. "Any other time and there's no way I would lose."

"Bring it on! I'm always ready for a challenge!" Ashei answered grinning widely

"Alright, alright you two. You need to go check in with Zelda, she wanted to make sure that you were both presentable before we leave." Auru said smiling.

"Oh well then. We shall not keep the lady waiting." Hugh said with a mock bow

With Ashei in tow Hugh entered the inn and bounded up the stairs three at a time.

"Show off." Ashei muttered as she walked up one stair at a time.

"Am not!" Hugh retorted. "I'm just hyper, I've been awake for a long time." He explained grinning

"And what? You just get more and more hyper as the day goes on?" She asked

"Nah, I just go from low to high then low again as time passes." He said while drawing a curve in the air as he spoke.

"So does that mean your going to crash really early tonight then?" She continued slightly curious

Hugh made a 'I don't know' type sound. "It depends on the day because the peak time can change." As he finished this he knocked on the door of the room Auru and Zelda were staying in.

"Come in." Zelda's reply came.

Walking in the room then closing the door behind them Ashei and Hugh stared at Zelda who was at this time seated on her bed adjusting her crown to sit centered on her forehead. she had changed into a ornate red and sunset orange gown that draped lightly across her shoulders and continued down to the floor. The sleeves were a see-through red that subtly flared at the wrists while the dress itself had a fitted top that slimed to a point at the waist then separated into two outer panels of red with the centre panel of orange. The entire dress was threaded with fine needle work that trace intricate patterns.

"Wow, nice getup!" Ashei said in amazement

"Thank you." Zelda replied graciously as she stood and walked over to stand near them.

"I agree with Ashei, but... Aren't you supposed to be incognito? Unless I was mistaken?" Hugh questioned hesitantly

"No you're quite correct, I simply want to be ready for when we arrive." Zelda replied

"You're going to wear that under your sheikah outfit?" Ashei joked

Zelda laughed. "No, I'm going to do this." With a quick motion she instantly was standing before them in her Sheik form.

Hugh whistled. "Nice trick. How'd you do it?" He asked grinning like a little kid

"It's just an illusion, I still look the same, just to anyone else I'm Sheik." Zelda explained. "Now!" She said suddenly changing topics. "What are the two of you going to wear?"

"I'll just wear this; with my sword of course." Ashei responded with a gesture to her normal gray shirt and armor.

"I have a few options but I figured I should probably check with you which one you think would be best."Hugh answered shyly

"Alright, Ashei that looks good, Hugh let's take a look at our options." Zelda replied

About a half hour later Zelda stood next to Hugh in the boys room with Ashei laying on one of the beds lazily flipping through a book.

"I think that this is the best option. It's definitely presentable and it suits you well." Zelda voiced her opinion

"I still think that the cape is too much." Hugh grunted

Hugh had changed into a dark gray overcoat that was slightly baggy but ended in at his elbows. It also was done up at the front but opened to hang down after his belt. He wore his normal baggy pants underneath but had switched to a pair of boots instead of his sandals. The final part of his outfit was the aforementioned cape that was a on the outside a light gray blue and on the inside was black.

"It makes you look more distinguished." Zelda answered with a negligent wave of her hand.

"Yeah, you look like a nobleman now, just stick your nose in the air and you'll fit right in!" Ashei commented

"Ashei." Zelda said shooting her a warning glance.

"Well excuse me princess." She shot back. "I just don't understand why those ridiculous old men think so highly of themselves."

"Well it's not like we can change them much now can we?" Zelda sighed. "Just try to play nice while we're at the castle, I really don't want a war right now."

"Alright! Alright I'll behave!" Ashei said holding her hands in the air in surrender.

"Thank you, now Hugh you look fine, would you two go and round up the others I want to be on our way in the next few minutes if possible."

Link stared at the castle looming above them. They had managed to make good time and had arrived at the Norachre castle town in the early morning. Zelda was walking next to him and had changed back to her gown and crown, this had elicited many curious looks from the town folk.

"How do you know their going to let us in?" Link whispered to Zelda

"I think they kind of have to." Zelda whispered back. "It's considered very rude if a kingdom refuses to see other royalty. Besides he's sort of expecting us."

Link nodded but he still was uncertain. They approached the main gates and were greeted by two guards.

"Hello, what can we do for you?" They asked very kindly

'The guards at Zelda's castle could take lessons from these guys' Link thought to himself

Zelda stepped forward. "We are here to see your king." She told them with her best royal smile.

"Princess Zelda?" They murmured in surprise. "I-I mean, welcome your highness!" The first one stutter, quickly bowing. "Please, follow me!" As he was saying this the second one rushed over to open the gates.

The guard indicated for them to follow as he walked through towards the castle. Auru paused and dropped some coins into the second guard's hand.

"You're both doing a good job. Share this with your friend." He murmured with a smile.

The guard graciously accepted and thanked him.

As they walked the guard turned to look over his shoulder at them.

"I'm terribly sorry we weren't informed that you would be coming or we would have left the gates open." He said nervously

"Not at all, it is I who is sorry for arriving unannounced. We very much appreciate that the king is willing to see us." Zelda answered in an unhurried tone

"Yes of course." The guard murmured

They walked through a series of halls and doorways until they came to a set of large, decorated double doors. The guard carefully indicated for them to wait as he hurried up to the guard at the door. After whispering for a couple of seconds and sending quick glances at the group the other guard slipped through a side door and disappeared from sight.

"It will be just a moment." The guard said as he returned. "If there won't be anything else, I should be getting back to my post."

"Thank you very much for your aid," Zelda said gratefully. "May I learn your name?"

"Oh, James your majesty." He said bowing again.

"Thank you James, keep up the good work." Zelda said nodding kindly.

James grinned rather foolishly then bowed again and left.

After about another fifteen minutes the guard that James had spoken to returned and came up to them.

"The king will see you now." He said rather stiffly

Zelda nodded and walked forward. As they got closer the guards opened the large double does and the group entered. The throne room was enormous, very similar to Zelda's; the room was complete centered around the throne that had a large carpet running from it to the doors. The pillars, windows and paintings all were extraordinarily beautiful but Link was more focused on the people. There were a few nobles standing off to the sides deep in conversation, while a few servants rushed around accomplishing tasks with their heads down. But of most interest was the throne area itself; the king sat straight but still looked very relaxed., his hair was a sandy blond that looked as if it would fall in his eyes if it weren't for his crown holding it back. His eyes were a bright green and his mouth was curved into a permanent smile that surprisingly appeared to be completely genuine. He wore dark blue, long sleeved top with light pants and a heavy, thick looking cape. His crown wasn't overdone but it still was prominent enough to not be overlooked.

Next to him stood an older man who looked to be somewhere in his mid-sixties. His face was serious looking but his eyes showed signs of smile wrinkles. His hair was predominantly gray but still showed some of its original black color underneath. He stood tall with his hands clasped behind his back, he watched their group carefully but still didn't appear to be anxious. His outfit consisted of a dark uniform with the kingdom's symbol etched on the sleeve. He wore chain mail and carried a blade but otherwise wasn't particularly noteworthy. Link had a feeling this man was attempting to accomplish this unassuming position even though he seemed to be very capable.

Just then a loud trumpet sounded and another man stepped forward.

"Announcing the arrival of the glorious jewel of the Hyrulian kingdom- Princess Zelda." The man boomed.

The few nobles still in the room hesitantly bowed and Zelda moved forward toward the throne.

"Announcing the princess's companions - General Auru." The man continued. Auru confidently walked forward as well.

"Champion Link."

Link stood up straight and calmly as he could followed Auru.

"Scholar Shad."

Link couldn't see behind him but he assumed that the rest would follow as they were called.

"Warrior Ashei... And Mayor Hugh." The man concluded

The king stood as they stopped in front of the throne.

"Welcome to my kingdom Princess Zelda, your presence graces our halls." The king smiled happily

"King Kaori." Zelda inclined her head. "We are very grateful to you for meeting with us."

"Shall we continue this conversation in my study?" He asked somewhat quieter

"That would probably be best." Zelda murmured

"We will hold a feast for our guests this evening, all are welcome!" He announced to all those present.

The nobles all applauded then bowed as the king lead their group towards another room to the right of the throne. Link curiously looked around him as they entered the new room. It was grandly decorated but it was clear that the furniture was minimal on purpose. The large room had a black marble desk at the far end opposite the door; it was facing a window that overlooked a garden. The walls on either side were floor to ceiling bookshelves with small ornaments occasionally dressing up the shelves. There were three large couches facing a medium sized, knee high table that was made out of the same material as the desk. The room had two other doors leading to other parts of the castle but that was all that present.

"Please, have a seat." Kaori said in a much less formal tone and with a negligent wave at the couches

"Long day?" Zelda asked also dropping the formalities

"Most definitely." He replied with a short laugh. He removed his crown with a sigh and threw it across the room. Link looked over in surprise only to see that the older man from earlier had evidently followed them into the room and had caught the crown with apparent ease as if this were a regular occurrence.

"Oh yes, this is Renjiro, my second in command." The king told them almost as an afterthought. "He's the one who makes sure that the kingdom doesn't fall to pieces." He continued with a playful smirk.

Renjiro quirked an eyebrow and smiled slightly but otherwise remained silent.

"So how did the dragon chasing go?" Kaori asked with a grin after most of them had taken a seat or were standing nearby.

"Not as well as hoped, but you already know that." Zelda answered as she looked at her hand with a bored expression

He laughed. "Yes, well I was not expecting you to run into Arnold."

"You know Arnold?" Ashei asked surprised but still maintaining decorum.

"Oh yes, he was my castle's arcanist from before I was born." He responded

"Until he disappeared a few months ago." Renjiro added calmly as he was suddenly standing next to Kaori.

Kaori nodded and continued. "Exactly. He would usually come and go as he pleased so we didn't think anything of it for the first while."

"Pardon me, but why didn't you go after him?" Shad asked in a confused tone.

"Would have been pointless." Kaori said reclining even farther on the couch. "He was long gone and we had no idea even what direction he had left in. Plus even if we did catch up to him he can easily keep hidden from my men if he should choose."

"He was actually on his way to see me when we met up with him." Zelda told him

Kaori looked slightly more alert. "Did he say why?"

"Something about wanting to discuss magic, I paid him little attention seeing as there were more pressing matters at the time." Zelda answered

Kaori and Renjiro glanced uneasily at each other.

"What is it?" Zelda asked carefully

They looked at each other for a second longer before Renjiro answered.

"Before he disappeared he was looking into old forgotten magic. The spells he was researching were quite dangerous so I brought the matter to the king." He explained. "Kaori addressed the problem by asking Arnold to stop looking into the subject, and when he refused that part of the library was removed and put under lock and key."

"Arnold pouted over it of course, in his typical fashion but then seemed to get over it. After all it's not the first time that I've had to take things from him." Kaori added. "Honestly he's like a little kid at times. Anyway we quickly forgot about the incident."

"Until a few of the maids informed us that the locked rooms were in need cleaning and repair, as is the case every year. So I was put in charge of overseeing the maids to make sure nothing went missing." Renjiro picked up and continued where the king had left off. "As I was in there I began leafing through the books and found one page that was about the Triforce. This was around the time that we were receiving information about Hyrule's... Twilight problem." He said as if unsure what else to call it. "I was interested so I looked closer and realized that book was describing ways to remove the power from its bearers. And if remember correctly you are one of those bearer princess."

A shocked silence followed his statement.

"That is correct." Zelda confirmed after she found her voice.

"So you can understand our concern. It was around this time that we realized that Arnold was in fact missing." Kaori said next

Zelda nodded and looked deep in thought.

"He will need to be stopped." Link said quietly but with deep conviction.

Kaori and Renjiro looked to him as if for the first time.

"Yes, he will but it is not as easy as you may think it to be champion." Renjiro responded sternly but not unkindly.

"I never I expected it to be anything other than difficult, which is why we came to you." Link said with a humble nod to the two.

"We thought you might have some information on his weaknesses or traits that could be of use to us." Zelda added

Kaori was silent and looked down with a conflicted expression. "I know that I should help..." He said finally. "But Arnold has been a friend for a long time. He's like that weird uncle that you can't help loving." He chuckled. "I know he's gone too far this time so I'll help in any way I can."

Zelda nodded gratefully

"Unfortunately I don't much more than you do, Arnold was very secretive when it came to his work." Kaori said with a shrug. "However I do know someone who might be able to help."

Renjiro glanced at him with a slightly pained expression. "Must we involve him?" He asked

"It will be fine Renjiro," Kaori assured him.

"Him?" Link asked curiously

"Yes, the King of the Gerudo. He was quite good friends with Arnold and he may be able to tell you more than I can." Kaori answered

"Ganondorf!?" Zelda and Link both demanded at the same time.

"What? No! Shylock. No I thought Ganondorf was dead." the king corrected with a frown

"Can never be too sure." Zelda muttered under her breath

"I've never heard of this Shylock, who is he?" Auru inquired politely

"He's the King of the Gerudo as I mentioned earlier." Kaori said with a wave of his hand. "As I understand it every hundred years the Gerudo tribe has a boy born and that boy becomes the king, only problem was that when Ganondorf was king he didn't die. Then whenever a new boy was born he would kill them and continue ruling."

"With the exception of Shylock." Renjiro put in

"Yes I was getting to that. So this time when the kid was born they hid him and convinced Ganondorf that the boy died of an illness while Ganondorf was away. Long story short Shylock grew up in hiding most of his life so he wouldn't die, then, when you killed Ganondorf he took over." Kaori explained

"How did he come to meet Arnold?" Shad asked

"Well he had to hide somewhere didn't he? So the Gerudo approached us and asked… Well more or less demanded that we keep him here whenever Ganondorf returned to the fortress. And not wanting to get on their bad side we accepted." He said spreading his hands in front of him.

"And Arnold was here at the castle. That makes sense." Ashei completed the thought

"Yes, thankfully he wasn't here very often." Renjiro said

"Why? Was he problematic?" Zelda questioned

Renjiro and Kaori looked at each other with a wry expression

"He was a bit of a handful." Kaori admitted

"He's a thief." Renjiro shrugged

"Yeah ok, he is but he's a good kid." Kaori said then hesitated. "I think…"

Zelda chuckled faintly. "He sounds quite interesting."

"Yeah, him and Arnold got along really well so if anyone would know about his weaknesses it would be Shylock."

"So hold up... What does this mean? We have to go see him now?" Ashei asked

"Yes, we will travel to the Gerudo fortress tomorrow, then we can hopefully plan out what we will do next." Zelda told her

"Hear that Hugh? We're going back to the dessert! Isn't that so exciting?" Ashei teased

Hugh rolled his eyes but was smirking.

"Must you leave so soon?" Kaori asked somewhat sadly. "No one ever comes to visit me."

"Kaori-" Zelda chided with a smirk. "You know that we have to leave."

"Yeah I know, but you do have show up to that feast. If you don't people might assume that I threw you out."

"And we can't have that." Zelda teased. "Very well, we will be there." She promised

"Splendid! I will make sure that your rooms are arranged. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go and pretend to know what I'm doing in front of some dignitaries." He said after getting to his feet

"You should really take a vacation soon." Zelda smiled

"Sounds wonderful, if only there were less things to do." Kaori sighed wistfully

With that Kaori walked over to the door that they had come in.

"Oh Renjiro, would you be so kind as to show our guests to their rooms?" Kaori asked with flippant wave and a cheesy grin as he opened the door.

"As you wish your majesty." Renjiro rolled his eyes and threw the crown back to the king. Kaori smirked as he caught the crown, placed it on his head slightly crooked then waved as he left the room.

"If you'll follow me." Renjiro smiled and began toward one of the other doors. The group stood and walked with with him down a large hallway. It was a mixture of blue and silver decorations quite different from the hallway they been in on their way to the throne room.

Renjiro noticed their staring and said "The late queen was very fond of color so over the years she had all of the hallways painted and decorated in different colors from each other." He explained.

"She seems like she was a very happy person." Zelda commented

"Indeed she was, her passing left a unfortunate gloom over our kingdom that only recently has begun to lift." Renjiro said sadly

They walked in silence for a few seconds more when they came to the end of the hall and were about to turn the corner when a small blond boy came rushing towards them and ran right into Renjiro.

"Tobias! What are you doing?" Renjiro asked

The little boy looked up in surprise and clutched the book he was holding closer to his chest. Link noticed that he was wearing a blue and gray tunic with a small silver circlet on his head. He face was slightly flushed but he had astoundingly blue eyes that complemented his blond hair and freckles.

"Renjiro, I'm sorry I was in a hurry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Tobias apologized, bowing his head nervously

"That's alright but, why are you in such a hurry?" Renjiro asked curiously

"I didn't want to be late for my lesson." The boy explained

"But your lesson doesn't start for another half hour." Renjiro pointed out

Tobias looked down embarrassedly. "Yeah I know but I wanted to do some more research before the tutor arrived."

"Alright just be careful not to run into anyone else." Renjiro smiled and ruffled Tobias's hair.

"Ok." Tobias smiled shyly, then quickly walked off.

"That was Tobias." Renjiro smirked. "In case you missed that."

"I can see that he is like his father." Zelda commented

"At times yes, but most feel that he takes after his mother more. He loves learning while Kaori had to be forced to do any homework as he was growing up." He said with chuckling at the memory.

The walked for a few more minutes before they came to a yellow and beige hallway with many doors a few feet apart.

"These will be your rooms, as you can see this section is only for guests so if you need anything please just ring one of the bells and a servant will come to check on you." Renjiro said indicating to all the rooms. "And since we don't have any other visitors at the moment your all welcome to have your own rooms. There will be hot water brought to your rooms for a bath in the next few minutes. Also feel free to wander at your leisure, the feast won't be until after sundown."

"Thank you for all of your accommodations, we really appreciate your hospitality." Zelda told him

Renjiro bowed then left them to go the way that they had come. Zelda took the first room followed by Ashei, Link, Auru, Hugh and Shad.

Link opened the door to his room and carefully walked in, trying not to get the floor or walls dirty. The room was spectacular, it had a giant king sized bed with nightstand on either side holding beautifully crafted decorations all in a green theme. To the left there was a sitting area with two elegant fabric sofas with a shimmering leaf green. To the right was a desk with quill and paper as well as the door to what he later found to be the bathroom. A little ways away from the sitting area was a large wardrobe that had a small selection of sleepwear and men's and women's clothing. He placed a few of his clothes alongside them so as to keep them neat. The room had four floor to ceiling windows that overlooked a courtyard and orchard.

As he was looking out one of the windows there was a knock at the door. He walked over and opened the door. There was a small gray haired woman who looked like she was in her late sixties.

She looked at him expectantly and said. "I'm here to draw your bath sir."

Link quickly moved to allow her in the room then noticed that she had a large bucket of steaming water in her hands. He offered to carry it for her and she accepted gratefully.

"My old bones don't want to work as well as before." She said with a smile. "Most don't bother to help though, you must be nice kid." She commented with conviction as she began to fill the tub with water. "What are you visiting for? If you don't mind my asking."

Link smiled kindly. "I'm here with the princess." He explained

"Ah, a real beauty she is, although I'm sure you've already noticed that." She teased

He blushed and busied himself with helping to pour in the hot water. She didn't seem to notice and went on to talk about many of the different people who had come to visit the castle in the years past.

"And that count Ruegan, boy he was a nasty old sod, couldn't tell his left from his right but still ran everyone to the ground with his chatter, mind you he hasn't been around for many years now for which we're all grateful. I do wonder what became of his son though, prissy little thing but was sweet as pie when he wanted to be." She said half to herself and half to him. "There now that should be all ready for ya, be sure to enjoy, oh and if ya need anything else don't hesitate to ring."

Link promised he would and thanked her very much before walking her to the door. Not wanting to let the water get cold he went back to the bath and after removing his clothes sunk into the soapy water. After allowing himself to adjust to the temperature he started scrubbing at the dirt that had become almost like a second skin over their time outdoors.

Later after he had finished he dressed himself in one of the outfits that was in the wardrobe. It was similar to his normal outfit but instead of green it was a deep maroon offset by an almost black. He looked in the mirror and tried to make his hair take some sort of shape but quickly gave up and let it fall the way it wanted.

Feeling very refreshed he looked around the room trying to determine what to do next. There were still many hours until the feast and he was curious about the castle so he decided to go exploring. He looked to make sure that the room looked similar to when he had arrived then exited to the hallway. He turned to close the door when he heard on of the other doors opening. Looking to see who it was he saw Hugh coming down the hall towards him.

"Hey, where are you off to?" Hugh greeted

"I thought I would go explore a bit." Link answered

"Cool, you should invite Zelda, I'm sure she's not busy." Hugh commented

Link blinked. "I guess I could… I hadn't even thought of it."

"Well that's why you've got me around! To make sure you don't miss out on these opportunities!" He said lightly punching him in the shoulder.

Link rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you're thinking but this isn't an 'opportunity' as you so eloquently put it."

"Hey whatever you say." Hugh responded with a mock surrender. "Hope you guys have fun!" He teased then walked off to one of the other rooms.

Link signed and shook his head. He looked to his left and slowly walked to Zelda's door. His heartbeat sped up as he brought his hand close to the wood. He pulled away and saw that his hand was shaking slightly. 'Calm down' he told himself. 'Hugh's just got you all riled up, just relax it's just Zelda… Just the princess of your entire country who probably won't want to spend time with you anyway.' He shook his head. 'Ok that's not helping! it will be fine just knock and ask her if she wants to accompany you, it's not that hard, she can always say no' he steeled himself and quickly knocked on the door before he could talk himself out of it.

"Just a second." Zelda's voice came from inside the room. The door opened and revealed the princess

"Link! Is everything alright? You're looking a little pale." She said with slight concern in her voice

Link cleared his throat. "No, no everything is fine. I just was going to walk around and… I was wondering if you would like to come with me?" He said trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"I would love to; just give me a second I just need to grab my crown." She smiled and quickly disappeared back into her room only to reappear a few seconds later with a happy smile still on her face.

Without another word the two began walking down the hall. A little after they lapsed into easy conversation and Link calmed considerably, now simply being content to be in the princesses company.

Ashei sank deeper into the luxurious bath she was currently enjoying. She felt the dirt drifting out of her pores as she rubbed her skin under the water. Once she had completed washing she somewhat reluctantly got out of the bath and pulled a towel around her. She dried off and changed into her comfortable gray shirt and black baggy pants. Giving her hair one last drying she tossed the towel on the counter and walked out into her main room. She was considering just going to sleep since she didn't have anything else to do when movement to her left caught her eye. Quickly looking to see what it was she grabbed one of her daggers.

"You've got to be kidding me." She muttered to herself.

Hugh was sleeping very comfortably on one of her silver and black couches. He had a book over his face but it was obvious that he was sleeping from his breathing. Rolling her eyes Ashei walked over to him and kicked him in the side. She didn't kick him too hard but it was enough to walk him with a start.

"Ow! Wha- oh hey you're finally finished." He said looking up at her with a smile.

"And you're here because?" She asked with a deadpan expression

"Well!" He said sitting up suddenly and putting his finger to his mouth in a thoughtful expression. "First, I had a bath, which was very nice by the way; then I came out into the hallway only to run into Link. Had to do some prodding but I managed to convince him to ask Zelda on a date." He paused. "Well close enough… Anyway! Then I was bored and I figured that there was nothing to do in my room so I came here!" He sat back and looked at her with an expectant smile.

"Did it occur to you that I might not want you here?" Ashei asked raising an eyebrow.

Hugh looked at her surprised. "You think that I would care? You never want me around, but that doesn't mean that I stop talking to you."

"Valid point." She shrugged. "Well I guess I didn't have anything to do anyway." She smirked as she ungracefully flopped on the other couch. "So Link finally manned up enough to ask her out?"

"With a little help from me of course." Hugh said looking very proud of himself

"Yeah yeah don't get a swelled head." Ashei said reaching over and tapping him on his head.

"Fine fine." Hugh smirked. "Your room is so much better than mine." He whined

"Why?"

"Because my room is pink." He said pouting

Ashei burst out laughing. "Seriously? That's awesome! I'm so glad I didn't get that room!" She laughed some more

"Shut up I didn't realize it was going to be pink!" He insisted

"Whatever." She teased

Hugh sighed "I wish we could go spy on Link and Zelda." He said wistfully

"Now that would be entertaining." Ashei agreed. "But since we can't why do we do something else for fun?"

"What do you suggest?"

"How about…" She said as she got up and went over to her bag. "I take all your money with poker." She grinned evilly while holding up a deck of cards.

Hugh grinned just as wide. "Well you're welcome to try." He taunted

Link and Zelda walked down a bright purple hallway talking about the different rooms they had seen and the people they had stopped to talk with. It was getting on into the afternoon but there was still plenty of time before they needed to head back.

"So where would you like to go next?" Link asked

"Well we've already gone to the kitchen, the throne room, twice, after getting lost." They both laughed at that. "And we've gone outside to the courtyard briefly so the last place I would love to see is the library." Zelda commented

"That sounds good and it would be a good way to pass the time as well." Link agreed

Zelda quickly went over to one of the nearby guards and inquired how to get to the library. After getting the instructions she hurried back over to Link and they began making their way through the different rooms and hallways.

Soon they reach a simple looking door with a small plaque to the left reading library. They entered without knocking the carefully closed the door behind them. Zelda gasped quietly.

"It's even bigger than mine!" She said with the biggest smile Link had ever seen.

"I take it you like it then?" He asked amused

"Oh yes." She said fervently. "Books are one of the things I get really excited about." She laughed nervously. "Sorry I know that's weird." She apologized

"No it's fine - it's nice to see you so happy." He said truthfully.

Zelda smiled gratefully then rushed over to one of the large bookshelves, eagerly looking at the selection. Soon she was out of sight, moving through many rows of books. Link chuckled to himself and began looking around as well but at a much slower pace. He skimmed through the history section for a few seconds before moving to the art books. He paused to look through a book on sketching before placing it back on the shelf and moving to the next section. Eventually he settled on a book about the Norachre myths and legends that promised to hold some interest. He wandered among the shelves until he came to a large sitting area with lots of windows and chairs. He immediately saw Zelda sitting in one of the chairs completely absorbed in a thick brown book as well as having a stack of other books sitting next to her chair. He walked over and sat in the chair opposite her. Link happily sat in silence and read along with the princess.

A servant quietly walked past the guest rooms. He had seen the princess and champion leave earlier but the others seemed to be staying in their rooms.

"HA! Take that!"

The servant almost jumped out of his skin as the yell came through the door. He looked at the second door in surprise.

"You little cheat!" Another voice yelled, causing him to jump again.

The servant quickly moved along, not wanting to get involved in any arguments between the guests.

Hugh stuck his tongue out at Ashei.

"What as that again about you taking all my money?" He taunted as he gloatingly took the pile of money from the middle of the table.

Ashei growled. "You just got lucky!"

"What-e-ver." He sang

"Shut up!"

Zelda finished her first book and looked up at Link. He was sitting peacefully with his head resting on his hand, his other hand holding the book up for him to read. His eyes half lidded and a small smile resting on his face he turned to the next page oblivious to the world. Zelda smiled to herself and began her next book.

Ashei and Hugh were locked in a stare down. Each waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Full house." She announced as she slammed the cards on the table.

Hugh groaned and put his cards on the table as well.

"Yes!" Ashei said joyfully as she thrust her hands in the air.

Hugh smirked. "Another round?" He asked

"Nah, I'm getting bored…" She said sitting back on the couch.

"I wonder what Shad and Auru are doing?" Hugh commented idly

"Something dull I bet." Ashei responded smugly

"Let's go find them then." Hugh said with a hint of excitement

"Well I did say I was bored didn't I?" Ashei drawled. Hugh took her hand and dragged her to the door.

"What are you doing?" Ashei asked startled at the sudden action.

"Uh…. Nothing sorry." Hugh responded a slight blush creeping up his neck "Let's go" he said dropping her hand the excitement replaced by embarrassment

Shad and Auru made their way down the hall towards the library.

"I am very pleased to have you come along Auru. I do appreciate the company." Shad said in an excited tone.

"It's not a problem Shad I would love to see it anyway….. But I would appreciate it if you could help me with something." Auru answered.

"Of course anything"

"You must help me spar." Auru paused at the pale expression that had appeared on Shad's face worried he continued. "I'm afraid I am terribly out of practice and require some assistance, you don't have to be on the receiving end, just count my hits."

The color started to return to Shad's face as he reluctantly agreed to Auru's offer. After a few silent minutes of walking they reached the simple oak door that stood at the end of an empty hallway. Excitedly Shad released the latch on the door and pushed it open. Inside was full of books all different sizes and colors and sitting amongst them was the princess and Link.

"Let's go do that thing you wanted to do." Shad said in a hurried and hushed tone.

"What? Why?" Auru said in the same hushed manner, he had yet to notice the scene being played out.

"I think the princess and Link would rather not be interrupted." Shad whispered back with a pointed glance toward the two.

Auru followed his gaze and smiled. "I think you're right, the training area should be this way." he said pulling the door shut behind them.

Ashei and Hugh made their way down the empty corridor towards Shad and Auru's rooms.

"Well I guess they're not here." Hugh said after knocking on the dark mahogany doors.

"Guess not" Ashei replied

"Let's go on an adventure!" Hugh exclaimed suddenly.

"Why are you hyper all of a sudden?" Ashei asked knitting her brow.

"I don't know why are you grouchy all of a sudden?"

"I'm not grouchy" she huffed.

They started walking down the hall again. After a few minutes of awkward silence they came across a servant

"We're looking for some of our companions, do you happen to know where we could find Auru or Shad?" Hugh asked her casually.

"I believe they were out on the training field last I saw them." She giggled and continued "the short one looked rather frightened."

Hugh and Ashei smirked at each other and after thanking the servant, rushed off toward the training yard.

The found of crashing metal echoed through the air accompanied by the occasional grunts and yells from the few pairs of soldiers scattered around the grounds.

"Keep that sword up Shad!" Auru instructed happily

Shad shakily lifted the sword higher. "What happened to just counting the hits?" He cried, then yelped as Auru brought another side swipe towards him which Shad managed to just barely block.

"Relax, it's not like I'm going to hurt you." Auru said over the sounds of the claiming steel. "Besides its good for you to learn!"

Auru swung the sword in a slowed downward curve. Shad quickly brought his sword up to block it.

"See? You're getting better!" Auru praised

Shad smiled shakily.

"Good now you try attacking me!" Auru instructed.

"I really don't think this is the best idea." Shad disagreed

"It will be fine, just do it like I did." Auru told him

Shad frowned but brought the sword up over his head and swung it down. Auru easily blocked it then smiled.

"Again!"

Shad took another swing, this time from another direction. Auru blocked then swung with an attack of his own. Shad jumped back and sloppily brought his sword up to block, only to fall over when the hit landed.

"Are you alright?" Auru asked as he bent down and gave his hand to help him up.

"Yeah I'm fine." Shad said placing his glasses back on his face.

As they got to their feet Hugh and Ashei arrived.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day!" Ashei laughed. "Shad sparing? How did you manage that?"

"He tricked me into it." Shad rolled his eyes but still was smirking

Auru chuckled. "Yes but he was a good sport about it."

"So, what are you doing out here?" Hugh asked curiously. "I thought we would find you in the library not be out here in the training yard."

"Well we were the library." Shad started

"But we didn't want to disturb Link and the princess." Auru finished

Hugh started to nod then frowned slightly. "Wait they're at the library?" He asked

"That's right." Shad confirmed.

Hugh smirked then looked to the sky. "What goes on in that head is beyond me." He muttered with a short laugh

"I thought it was a cute idea." Auru smiled with fatherly pride

"Not my first choice for a date, but to each his own I suppose." Ashei put in with a wide grin.

"No, no they're not 'dating' remember" Hugh mocked with a huge smile

"Well not officially maybe but they might as well be." Shad sighed and shrugged

Hugh looked at him in surprise. "Wow, I never thought you would be the one to say that." He commented

"I guess I'm not quite as naïve as I look." Shad said spreading his hands in front of him.

"Aww! He's growing up!" Ashei teased as she mussed with his hair. Shad quickly escaped her grasp and started patting his hair back into place, all the while half glaring at her.

"Yep it seems the only ones who haven't noticed yet are the princess and Link themselves." Auru sighed

"Yeah, I've been working over Link but it's taking forever!" Hugh whined. "I mean it's not that hard to tell a girl you like her."

"Riiiight. It's not hard at all." Shad drawled as he crossed his arms and looked pointedly at Hugh. Hugh quickly looked away.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Auru told them. "Just give them time."

"I guess." Hugh said sullenly

"But it would be so much more fun to mess with them!" Ashei objected

"And a completely stupid idea." Shad mutter under his breath

"Says you." Ashei stuck out her tongue

"Enough you two." Auru reprimanded. "No one is going to mess around with Link and Zelda's relationship; they are perfectly capable of taking care of things in their own due time."

"Fine." Ashei relented

Link sneezed quite suddenly. Zelda looked up in surprise and Link gave her an embarrassed smile.

"You know, some people believe that when you sneeze it means that people are talking about you." Zelda commented

"Well I've never really been one for believing in things like that, but it is an interesting thought." He paused. "But if that were true, don't you think that you would never stop sneezing?" He asked thoughtfully

"I hadn't thought of that but I suppose that's a good point." She admitted.

"I see you're making good progress on your stack." Link said after a few moments with a small nod to the books at her side.

"Yes, a few of them didn't turn out as interesting as I had hoped, but this series had turned out to be very enjoyable." She said with a gesture to a group of five or six books that were similar in size. "What about you?"

He shrugged. "This book was pretty interesting, but I'm considering going to find something else because the rest of it mostly focuses the writers and how well educated they are."

"Here try this one." Zelda said as she quickly bent down and grabbed one of her books to hand to him.

"I really liked it, it's a bit silly but it's good to pass the time." She said as he flipped through the first few pages.

"Thank you." He said sincerely before beginning to read it.

"So how soon is supper?" Ashei asked curiously

"It should be in a few hours so we don't have to get ready just yet." Auru answered. "So that means Shad and I can continue sparring for a while longer."

Shad sighed heavily. "What fun." He said sarcastically

"Oh come on, don't be a wimp and get out there." Ashei teased then pushed him into the sparring circle

Shad rolled his eyes but did pick up the training sword.

"And you." She said suddenly turning her attention to Hugh. "I challenge you to a duel." She said as she sauntered to one of the other circles and picked up a sword.

Hugh's mouth twitched trying to contain a grin. "Challenge accepted." He told her as he picked up a sword of his own and dropped into stance.

Their eyes locked waiting for the other to make the first move. Hugh stood completely still, his sword held in a diagonal in front of him. Ashei held his gaze steadily, then without warning smirked and took the first swing, without so much as a sound. The swords single clang rang through the air as Hugh and Ashei both smirked at each other, their faces less than three inches apart. Ashei jumped back to her start position for a split second before attacking from another angle. Hugh spun and blocked again but this time shifted so that his sword pinned hers so the point was on the ground. Ashei yanked her sword free and moved to a defensive position to wait. Hugh chuckled and took his turn to attack. Ashei easily blocked but Hugh wasn't focused on a single attack instead he continued to reign down hits until the point that his sword became a blur. Ashei held her own and quick started counter attacking. Within a few minutes a small group of people had come to watch.

"Seems we've got an audience." Hugh remarked as he deftly avoided another slash.

"It would seem so." Ashei agreed sidestepping and blocking Hugh's sword. "Why don't we make things a bit more interesting?" She jumped out of the way and dashed over to the edge of the circle. Without a single pause she grabbed a second sword and resumed her onslaught of attacks.

"Oh so we're going freestyle are we?" Hugh smirked even wider. He dodged a side swipe and rolled to the outer ring of the circle. Jumping to his feet he clasped hold of three daggers that lay next to the other training weapons.

"Interesting choice but how are you going to hold all those?" Ashei scoffed as they circled each other.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see." Hugh mocked as he twirled two of the daggers into his belt and held the last alongside his sword.

They ran at each other and clashed again, this time with an x formation, Hugh with his sword and dagger, Ashei with her double swords. Jumping back they attacked again with ending up with the same x lock. There was a murmur of appreciation from the crowd.

"Well this certainly makes things more interesting." Ashei commented idly as they held the locked position.

"I agree." Hugh drawled. "But I think that this sword needs to go."

Taking a step back he took a swing at her swords causing her to jump back as she blocked. Once she was out of range Hugh quickly slipped his secondary daggers between his fingers so it looked like he had claws. Running forward again he brought up his hand as Ashei brought her sword down. The sword clanged in between two of the daggers. Hugh smirked and twisted his hand, jerking the sword out of her hand and tossing it across the ring making a clanking sound as it skidded across the concrete. Eyes flashing Ashei slashed at his daggers and knocked them out of their positions to the ground below. Their swords blurred once again as they furiously attempted to gain the advantage. Within a short amount of time they found themselves once again in the same position of locked swords, they face inches apart. Ashei stared at Hugh with a look of deep concentration and determination while Hugh returned the look of one with cheerful lack of concern. Ashei pressed her sword harder and leaned forward in an attempt to throw off Hugh's defense but only managed to bring their faces closer together. Hugh's face turned to an unreadable expression and with lightning speed bent and kissed Ashei on the cheek.

Ashei jumped in surprise and fell backward. Hugh bright his sword up with its point at her neck.

"My win!" He said triumphantly his voice full of delight.

"What the in the name of Hyrule was that!?" Ashei screeched at him as he twirled around and bowed to the clapping soldiers around them.

"We were doing freestyle." He answered as if that explained everything

"That has nothing to do with what just happened." Ashei seethed

"Sure it does! In freestyle the competitors are allowed to do whatever they want to defeat their foe." Hugh stated trying to sound sophisticated but was unable to keep his teasing tone out of it.

"Hardy-har-har, so is that what you do to all your freestyle opponents?" she retorted as she got up and brushed herself off.

"Nah, the only other person I've done that to was my brother; most of my other opponents are forty year old men." He shivered. "That would be so weird." His face turned to one of slight nausea.

"Well-" she cut off suddenly. "Wait… you have a brother?" she asked in surprised.

"Yes?" he responded absentmindedly as he picked up the daggers.

"I thought you had a sister?" Ashei continued

"Yeah Aria, but I also have a brother. He just doesn't really like to admit that we're related." He shrugged

Ashei raised an eyebrow and waited. Hugh glanced over and sighed.

"He's going through a bit of phase right now;" He relented. "wanting to prove himself and what not, so we're not on the best of terms, but I'm sure he'll get over it."

"And is that why we didn't meet him at the village?" Ashei asked

"Well not exactly… he kinda ran away." Hugh admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What!?" Ashei yelped. "How are you not more worried than that? What if he's hurt?"

"Oh he's fine." Hugh assured her.

Ashei glared at him.

"Ok! Ok!" he said throwing his hands in the air. "You know the group of bandits that we ran into earlier?" he asked

"What about them?" she asked suspiciously

"He's sort of involved with them." he said looking away

"Involved?"

"Alright fine! He's their leader." He acceded

Ashei stared at him stupefied.

"Like I said he's going through a phase. Said he was tired of being known as the younger brother or something silly like that." He rolled his eyes and made a 'what can you do' gesture.

Ashei was silent for a while before she nodded with a show of feigned sympathy. "That's rough buddy."

Hugh smirked and shook his head.

"Hey you never know, maybe we'll get to meet up with him sometime, those bandits are all over the place after all." She pointed out cheerfully

"True…" he agreed. "Plus he'd probably quite enjoy meeting you, being my brother and all." He said with a cheesy grin.

"That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one of these days." She retorted with a huff.

Before Hugh had a chance to respond a servant came rushing up.

"Excuse master Hugh but the King requested that I inform your party that the feast will be beginning in a less than a half hour." The servant said shyly.

"Thank you for telling us, if you want I can tell the others so you don't have to." He offered.

"Oh! That would be wonderful, thank you very much." The servant nervously bowed and rushed away.

Hugh turned back to Ashei. "I'll get Link you get Auru?" he proposed

"Meet back at the rooms?" she asked

"Sees who gets there first?"

"You're on!"

Grinning like little children they rushed off in opposite directions.

Hugh skidded to a stop outside the library doors. He stalked through the library looking for the two.

"Aha!" he exclaimed as he came around corner. "Found you!"

Link and Zelda looked up at him in surprise.

"Hugh, is everything alright?" Zelda asked concerned.

"Yup just came to get you guys since the feast is going to start soon!" he said enthusiastically.

"Oh it's that time already?" Zelda said as she got to her feet

"Yes now come on we've got to get back to the rooms." He said with impatience

"What's the big hurry?" Link asked also getting to his feet.

"Me and Ashei are racing to see who can get back to the rooms first." He explained with a self-satisfied smile.

"Do you two have to make everything a competition?" Link teased.

"No, but it makes things a lot more interesting." Hugh opened the door and let Zelda go ahead of them.

After walking for a few moments Hugh leaned over to Link.

"So how did things go?" he asked with a mild smirk and raised eyebrows

"How did what go?" Link returned

"Oh you know what." he joshed. "You seriously when to the library? Really, Link? For a first date it's hardly exciting."

"As I told you before, it was not a date. And besides so what if it's not exciting? She enjoyed it." He whispered calmly but with an edge.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Hugh waved away his comment. "Please tell me you at least talked to each other at some point during the afternoon."

"If you must know we actually walked around most of the castle before going to the library, and yes we talked." He said in an 'are you happy now' tone of voice

"Ooooh, what'd you talk about?" he questioned

Zelda looked over her shoulder. "What are you two whispering about back there?"

"Nothing your highness!" Hugh told her cheerfully.

Zelda shook her head with a smile and kept walking.

"Come on man you've got to give me details!" he teased in a whisper.

"If you think that I'm going to tell you anything with you acting like an exasperating five year old then you are sadly mistaken." Link said with a triumphant sideward glance.

"That's harsh." Hugh pouted

Link just smiled and continued walking.

As they arrived back at the yellow hallway they caught sight of Ashei, Auru and Shad going into their rooms.

"You're late." Ashei stated as she sauntered over to Hugh

"Very funny, you totally had the advantage." He countered

"So?" Ashei countered

"So you don't win." Hugh said leaning closer to her.

"You're just jealous." She told him also leaning closer.

"Yeah yeah you're both super competitive we get it." Link interrupted as stood looking between the both of them. "Now may I please get in my room?"

Ashei and Hugh looked and realized that they were, in fact, standing directly in front of Link's room. Coughing embarrassedly they moved out of his way.

"Thank you." He quipped as he opened his door. "You may continue." He called to them as he shut the door.

Hugh smiled and turned back to Ashei. "I should also be going, try not to miss me too much." He said turning on his heel

Ashei gave a short laugh as she turned around as well. "You wish!"

Festive music floated out to meet them as the group arrived at the open doors of the feast. There were already many voices crowding over each other as they walked in. As people caught sight of them they began to applaud a few even coming up and greeting them personally. Link struggled to remember the names of all the different dignitaries as they were introduced.

"Relax, you won't have to speak to most of them again throughout the evening and if you do they'll be sure to remind you of their names." Auru whispered to him between greetings.

Renjiro and Tobias came over to meet them.

"Wonderful to see you all again, I trust everything was to your satisfaction?" Renjiro inquired politely

"Yes, thank you very much for the lovely accommodations, they were above and beyond our expectations." Auru returned eloquently

"How was your lesson?" Link asked Tobias after the two had finished

Tobias jumped slightly at being addressed but quickly composed himself and answered. "It was quite informative." He replied somewhat stiffly

Link smiled warmly and bent down to be at his level.

"Oh? What did you learn about?" He asked trying to bring the young prince out of his shell.

Tobias blushed slightly and tightly clasped his hands together in front of him. "We learned about the history of literature."

Link nodded thoughtfully. "And do you enjoy learning about that?"

Tobias nodded shyly. "I like poetry."

"Really? Well I know another person who likes poetry." Link said leaning forward in a confidential way.

Tobias leaned forward as well. "Who?" He asked curiously

"Princess Zelda."

"Really?" They both looked towards the princess who was at that time talking with a group of women, who Link assumed were wives of the dignitaries.

"How do you know?" Tobias questioned eagerly a smile growing.

"I saw her reading some earlier." Link answered, thinking about the afternoon in the library.

Tobias glanced towards the princess again, a grin now very present on his face.

"Tobias, Link perhaps you wouldn't mind shifting this conversation over nearer to the table," Renjiro tactfully said. "Your father should be arriving soon so the meal will be beginning."

They both nodded and followed him over to where much of the rest of their group had gathered. When Kaori did finally make his appearance he was quick rushed over to the head of he table to avoid the bombardment of questions. Renjiro clapped his hands to quiet the room.

"My friends and esteemed nobles I welcome you all to this wonderful event. I have the great pleasure of welcoming our guest of honor for the evening: Princess Zelda as well as her traveling companions." Kaori announced.

The other guest clapped tastefully at this before returning to their own conversations.

"Now if you all will be seated we may begin eating!" Kaori said, addressing them personally.

They each began moving to the end of the table to be seated. Tobias left the group and ran over to his father. Whispering something in his ear then returned to stand next to Link again. Kaori smiled and addressed Link.

"My son was asking if it would be alright for him to sit next to you this evening."

"Of course, That would be nice." Link responded as he looked at the beaming Tobias.

"And Zelda, I would be delighted to have you sit next to me tonight." The king said

"The pleasure would mine." Zelda responded

"Link I also would like to speak with you, why don't you have a seat next to the princess, then Tobias can sit next to you."

Link turned to him nervously. "Oh I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense, have a seat!" the king reassured him.

The king took his seat with Zelda on his right and Link beside her then Tobias and Auru. On Kaori's left were Renjiro then Shad and Ashei and Hugh.

"So I trust you were well cared for in my absence?" Kaori asked with a light smile

"Yes, very well, thank you." Zelda answered. "I hope your meeting wasn't too stressful."

"Not at all, in fact I almost fell asleep at one point." He commented with a chuckle

"And how did your council take that?" Zelda asked

"Needless to say they weren't impressed." Kaori responded. "But! I redeemed myself later by stopping a civil war over a fruit tray."

"Oh no, please don't tell me it was Duke Senguard and Olivn again?" Zelda groaned

"Yep!" Kaori quipped. "Said that Olivn was trying to poison him because he included strawberries, which of course everyone knows he's allergic to." He said in a tone that clearly showed that no one was aware of that fact.

Zelda sighed. "Honestly they never learn." She commented

Link smiled as he listened to the conversation, though he wasn't familiar with the people they were discussing he was simply pleased that the two were getting along so well. He felt a small tug on his sleeve and turn to face Tobias.

"Master Link is it true that you went to the twilight world?" He asked his eyes burning with curiosity

"Yes it is, and please just call me Link." Link said smiling.

Tobias smiled back. "What was it like?"

Link began to describe his adventures, stopping every few sentences to patiently answer the prince's endless supply of questions.

"I can totally see him as a father." Ashei commented to Hugh who in that moment was deeply engrossed in eating.

"Hmm? Who?" Hugh asked curiously

"Link obviously." Ashei responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, yeah I guess." Hugh shrugged, not being particularly interested in the topic.

"Do you want to have kids?" Ashei asked suddenly

Hugh coughed trying not to choke on his food. "What? That's a very out of the blue question."

Ashei shrugged. "Just curious."

"Umm I guess, not for a little while but yeah," he paused think it over then smirked. "Just think wouldn't it be fun to have a bunch of mini Hughs running around?"

"More like horrifying."

"Ouch. That's kinda harsh." He said faking a hurt expression

"Oh don't be a wuss, you know I'm joking." Ashei teased

Hugh laughed. "And what about you, should we be expecting any mini Ashei's running around terrorizing the general populace?"

"Hey! I'll have you know that I was a very well behaved kid." Ashei objected

"Sure you were." Hugh said sarcastically

"I was! And besides if I were to have kids they would be little angels." Ashei said matter of factly.

"So I'll take that as a yes then?"

Ashei hesitated. "I don't know. I've never really wanted to settle down so I didn't think I would ever have kids."

Hugh looked at her carefully. "But?" He prompted

"But… Now I'm not so sure." She mumbled as she put another bite of food in her mouth.

Unsure what to say Hugh stayed silent for a moment longer. "Well, for what it's worth, I think you'd be a great mom."

Ashei glanced at him skeptically for a beat before responding.

"Thanks… And I guess I could return the compliment, I think you wouldn't be a horrible parent either." She smirked

"Aww, I'm touched, that might the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Hugh said holding a hand to his heart.

Across the table Renjiro, Zelda and Kaori were discussing the recent marriage of two nobles that they all felt were equally wretched when it came to personality.

"Would it be completely tactless for me to say that they deserve each other?" Kaori asked

"Yes." Zelda answered. "However that doesn't make it any less true." She added smirking.

They all had a laugh at that.

"Oh that's right, I meant to ask how long have you and Link known each other?"Kaori said waving a hand at the two.

"Hmm? Sorry were you talking to me?" Link asked when he heard his name.

"No, no I was just asking the princess here how long you have known each other." Kaori reassured him.

Link nodded and was about to turn back to Tobias when Zelda spoke up.

"Does the time while you were a wolf count?"

Link thought about it for a second. "I guess it would, although we didn't have too much time for lengthy introductions."

"True, so I would estimate about a year then; maybe a year and a half." Zelda said

"How nice," Kaori smiled. "And what do you two plan to do after this whole fiasco is finished with?"

"Back to ruling as usual I suppose why?" Zelda responded

"And what about you Link?" Kaori asked, ignoring the question.

Link shrugged somewhat uncomfortably. "I joined the Hyrulian group called the Resistance, the one that Auru, Shad and Ashei are all a part of, so I'll probably simply continue with that."

Kaori nodded but clearly wasn't really paying attention to what either of them had said.

"Just curious, but why isn't Link head of your army?" He asked placidly

Link and Zelda looked at each other for a moment.

"I don't want to." Link deadpanned.

"I did offer." Zelda continued after a second.

The king was mildly surprised by the response, and laughed awkwardly

"And why would that be? If you don't mind my asking."

Link thought about it before answering. "Because the Hyrulian Knights are pretty pathetic, and I'm not exactly interested in having to deal with them on a regular basis." He said with a mixture of disgust and exasperation.

"Oh." Was all Kaori responded with.

"Though I hate to admit it, Link is right." Zelda added.

Link scoffed but couldn't hold back a smile "Hate to admit it huh?"

"That's- I meant that I'm not happy that the army is pathetic, it had nothing to do with you." She said flustered

"Riiight." He said drawing out the word.

"I mean it, I'm not saying that you're never right!" She insisted getting even more flustered

Link covered his face as he laughed. "You're way too fun to tease."

"Would you be so kind as to moderate your voice?" She said trying to stop blushing

"Is that a really nice way of saying shut up?" Link smirked

"Yes."

"Okay okay, I'm sorry I'll stop." He said mildly

Kaori simply watched the whole exchange with a wide smile. Leaning over to Renjiro He whispered. "How long do you estimate?"

"I'm going with a little over six months." Renjiro responded his voice also a whisper.

"Really? I was going to say somewhere closer to four months." Kaori replied thoughtfully.

"They seem more the type to take things slow." He explained

"Good point." Kaori conceded

Neither Link nor Zelda had heard this exchange as they were too involved in discussing the new addition that had been renovated on the castle with Tobias.

"It's huge!" Tobias exclaimed excitedly, his earlier shyness all but disappeared. "Now there's a new room specificity for growing certain types of plants that can be used in spells!"

"Wow," Zelda exclaimed getting caught up with the young prince's enthusiasm. "And will you be using these in your spells?"

"Well… Not yet, but soon! My tutor said that I'm getting better so might and able to try some harder spells."

"That's exciting." Link added a little confused. "I'm sorry I don't not know much more about the topic"

Neither seemed to hear him as they continued to talk animatedly about various potions and spells that they had encountered. Link simply shrugged and turned his attention to Ashei and Hugh both of whom had long since finished their meals and were boredly pushing the scraps around their plates.

"You do know you don't have to stay at the table right?" He mentioned nonchalantly to get their attention.

"What else is there to do?" Hugh asked with mild curiously

"Dancing." He said gesturing to the multiple couples already on the dance floor, swaying in time to the music the orchestra was producing.

"Ok, you're dancing with me." Ashei said resolutely as she walked around the table and grabbed the back of Link's tunic and began pulling him after her.

"I am capable of walking by myself Ashei." He protested halfheartedly

Ashei didn't respond but did let him go once they reached the floor. The musicians began the next song. It was a lively faster-paced song. All the couples arranged themselves into two rows, women on the right and men on the left. Each side bowed and curtsied alternatively. Ashei choose to bow instead so Link good-naturedly curtsied in response causing Ashei to laugh quite loudly, drawing much attention to the two but Link smiled and didn't bother to think about what the others thought of him this evening.

As the music played on the group danced in a well-choreographed yet simple pattern that left them tired but still smiling.

"I'm surprised you're quite a good dancer Link." Hugh said as he lazily threw an arm around Link's shoulder.

Link nodded his thanks but was glancing around as he noticed Shad had also been invited to dance with a woman he had met earlier. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Zelda, Kaori and Renjiro were still at the table but Tobias and Auru had clearly gone elsewhere.

"And what about me?" Ashei demanded, her hands on her hips.

"It was alright I guess." He replied boredly, clearly trying insight a reaction.

"Ha! And I guess you could do better?" She shot back

"Obviously."

"Prove it farm boy." She challenged

"Gladly." Hugh responded with great relish

Link watched happily as the two left. He turned his attention back to the table as he heard the first few notes beginning behind him. Kaori and Zelda were as before but Renjiro had gone off somewhere.

"Wonderful, I'll just have to tell Renjiro and things will be set up almost immediately." Kaori was saying as Link got closer.

"I'm glad that we can agree on this." Zelda replied lightly, clearly pleased.

"Yes I do apologize for the theatrics earlier, I simply wasn't sure what kind of a monarch you were, so I felt I shouldn't take any chances."

"I completely understand, and I'm actually quite pleased with how this all worked out. After all, it has given us a good chance to actually meet one another on friendly terms." Zelda pointed out.

"Ah, Link glad to have you back; how was Miss Ashei as a dancing partner?" Kaori greeted him as he sat back down at the table.

"Very pleasant." He said cheerfully.

"Glad to hear it, while you were away your princess and I came to an agreement, as it were, of a most pleasant kind." He said with a nod to Zelda to indicate that he wished for her to explain.

"Yes, we have decided to finally renew the alliance between Norachre and Hyrule." She said

Link was stunned for a moment but quickly snapped out of it. "That's amazing!"

"We're quite pleased with the development as well, however, I for one do not want business to overshadow this happy event some ought of this kind of talk." Kaori said resolutely.

As he finished speaking they heard the clapping that indicated that a song had finished. The musicians bowed and began to play a slow paced song which caused the coupled to take their places and drift in pairs around the dance floor.

"May I have this dance princess?" Link asked holding out a hand to Zelda.

"Only if you don't call me princess." She responded and took his hand.

As they made their way to the floor Link could help but notice Kaori giving him a thumbs up. Rolling his eyes with a chuckle Link purposely ignored him and focused back on Zelda.

The dance was simple just a few steps repeated over many times with an occasional added flourish. Both Link and Zelda gracefully took to the dance like a Zora to water. Others were slightly slower at adjusting to the slower pace.

"Having some difficulty there?" Hugh asked as Ashei once again stepped in his foot.

"Oh shut up." She retorted clearly irritated

"As you wish." Hugh said simply, he was not adverse to their situation in actually he was quite enjoying it.

"How are you so good at this?!" She exclaimed angrily

"We have festivals every year, great opportunity to practise." He answered then took the chance to twirl her before pulling her back into his arms.

Ashei went silent and Hugh thought he might have spotted a bit of red coating her cheeks. Smiling to himself he directed her across the dance floor keeping them in time with the music.

"You know… It might have been a bit easier for you if you had worn something other than the armor." Hugh pointed out with a glance at the offending garment

"What you mean like a dress?" She asked as if the idea left a bad taste in her mouth.

"It's just a suggestion." He said soothingly, not wanting to argue

Ashei hmphed but didn't seem upset.

Hugh twirled her again but this time carefully brought her back so that they were closer than before. Ashei clearly noticed the action but didn't comment instead she just looked to the side, the red now more profound.

As the music slowed to a stop Renjiro came to the floor and with a clap of his hands got the attention of the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the king and I would like to thank you all for participating in this wonderful evening, however like anything it must come to an end. Please return home safely and thank you again." He announced before turning and leaving, the king and Tobias close behind.

Link looked back at Zelda their hand still intertwined.

"Thank you for the dance, and for your wonderful company throughout the day." He said placing a small kiss on her hand.

Zelda smiled and blushed slightly. "The pleasure was all mine. Thank you Link."

Smiling Link moved to escort her back to the rooms.

"They are so cute together." Ashei commented to Hugh while they watched them leave.

"Yep." Hugh agreed

A beat of silence passed

"By the way… Why do you still have your arm over my shoulder?" Ashei asked her voice somewhat tight.

"Because it's comfortable." Hugh said nonchalantly. "Now, may I have the honor of escorting miss Ashei to her room?" He said with a playful extravagant bow.

"You mean the room that's literally two doors down from yours?" Ashei smirked

"That's the one!" Hugh responded happily

Ashei rolled her eyes with a smile. "I suppose I could allow it." She said linking her arm through his.


	15. The Gerudo King (fixed)

Auru threw the doors to Hugh's room open.

"Rise and shine kid!" He yelled, ripping the curtains open to let in the morning light.

Hugh groaned and buried his head into his pillows.

"Go away." He grumbled

"Nope. Out of bed sleepy head, we've got a big day ahead of us, can't waste it away sleeping." Auru continued unrepentantly

A light snore was the only response he received. With a shake of his head he walked over the bed and with absolutely no sympathy kicked Hugh out of the bed onto the floor.

"Ow… Man you're pretty heartless sometimes you know that?" Hugh told him as he rubbed his head.

"Comes from years of years of being a general. Now up and at'em." He said as he walked out of the room.

Choosing to go to Shad's room next he opened the door no less loudly.

"Morning greets you Shad! And by morning I mean me, get out of bed." Auru said wandering over and pulling open the curtains

Shad cracked an eye open before awkwardly fumbling around looking for his glasses. Once he had got them on and was sitting up he blearily looked around the room.

"What day is it?" Shad asked groggily

"The day that we're going to the desert, get dressed." Auru told him.

Shad made little indication that he had hear, but did get to his feet. No less than two seconds after he started moving he ran into his bedpost. Rubbing his face as he staggered backward he groaned in minute pain. Redirecting his path to avoid the offending post he made his way over to his wardrobe. Auru glanced at him somewhat worriedly but decided to let him deal with waking up on his own.

Turning he went to Link's room next. As with the other two he slammed the door open.

"Time t-" his words died on his lips as he looked at Link with amusement.

Link was sprawled across the bed, his hair sticking out in every direction possible and a small pool of drool next to his mouth. The sight would have been downright comical if Auru hadn't noticed his hand tightly gripping a sword on the side.

Deciding to take the same approach as before he opened the curtains and allowed that to wake the sleeping man.

At the sound of the curtains sliding Link jumped up into a sitting position, his sword drawn in defence.

"You really need to relax." Auru commented as Link lowered the sword. "Do you really think that someone's going to try to kill you while we're in the castle?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Link muttered still dazed from waking up so suddenly.

Auru raised an eyebrow at the statement but let it slide.

"Time to get up, we want to be off in the next hour or so." He told him then after taking another look at him added. "You'll want to try and tame that bed head before anyone else sees it, it's truly spectacular."

At the mention Link began patting down the hair with his hand.

Auru smiled to himself pleased, that task out of the way he returned to the hallway. He exited the room to be greeted by Ashei and Zelda both dressed and ready to go.

"Morning ladies." He said with a slight bow. "Up early I see."

"Good morning Auru. Yes, we wanted to be ready to go as soon as possible." Zelda answered

"The guys up yet?" Ashei asked

"Just went and woke 'em myself." Auru told her

"Sheesh, can't get their own lazy butts out of bed?" Ashei commented snidely

"You're one to talk, you wouldn't be up if it weren't for me coming to wake you." Zelda rolled her eyes.

"Details, detail." Ashei waved her off

Auru chuckled before excusing himself to go collect the rest of his things.

As he was leaving Hugh came storming out of his room and stalked over to Link's room. Banging on the door he yelled. "Oi Link! Did you take my headband!?"

Link opened the door and glared at him sleepily. "What?"

"I've looked everywhere for it, did you steal it?" Hugh demanded his hands on his hips.

Link rolled his eyes. "No Hugh, you left it here last night. Just a sec I'll go get it." Leaving and returning within a few seconds he handed the wide gray headband to Hugh.

"Oh sorry, I got worried when I could find it, thanks man." he said patting Link on the back almost causing Link to fall over.

At this point they heard laughing and turned to see Zelda and Ashei standing there. Becoming acutely aware that neither of them were wearing a shirt Link blushed while Hugh just smiled widely.

"Morning!" He greeted brightly. "Man what time did you guys get up? You're all dolled up and ready to go!" As he was saying this he came over to stand next to them while Link just rolled his eyes and went back in his room.

"I see you're sporting the Sheik outfit again, can't say that I don't think you look prettier in your normal get-up but this sure does look more comfortable." Hugh said with a gesture at Zelda.

"Yes it's more for practicality, plus I would rather not identify myself as the princess while we're at the fortress, I'm not quite sure how the Gerudo stand on political affairs at the moment." Zelda responded.

"Oi, how long are you planning on standing there without a shirt you doofus." Ashei said poking Hugh chest a few times for emphasis.

Hugh just shrugged. "Normally I just wear a vest, this isn't much different." He pointed out.

"But you can't do that today, remember? Going to the desert and all." Ashei responded

Hugh's smiled dropped. "Aww, I forgot about that… Bummer I'll have to go bug Shad for the cloaks, I'm pretty sure he had them last."

"You go do that, then hurry up and get ready. You're already late as it is." Auru commented, suddenly materializing Hugh.

Hugh laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Yep will do, sorry." He said as he hurried off to the other end of the hall.

A few minutes later Link came out of his room, fully dressed complete with sword, shield and pouch.

"Good morning Link." Zelda said properly greeting him this time.

"Good morning Zelda, Ashei, Auru." He returned, pausing he did a small double take. "Or should I be referring to you as Sheik?" He asked curiously

"Zelda now, Sheik at the fortress." Zelda responded.

Nodding he turned and looked around. "Shad not here yet?"

"Nope, he was a bit out of it this morning." Auru said

"I do hope he's going to be well enough to journey with you." Kaori said coming up to the group.

"Majesty. He should be fine, just a bit tired." Auru said in acknowledgment

"Glad to here it." Kaori nodded

From behind him Tobias poked his head out and waved shyly at the princess and Link. They both waved back.

"Your horses and supplies are all ready for your departure. Our kitchen staff was very excited at the prospect of preparing food for the road, so you will be sure to have your fill." Renjiro told them

The group thanked them.

"I do hope your travels go well, though I will miss the company. Please do come back and visit before you return to Hyrule." Kaori said

"We will." Zelda promised.

The sun was dipping low to the ground when they finally arrived at the Gerudo Fortress. The buildings have the appearance of being cubes stacked on top of each other in a staggered pattern; each a simple flat design with one or two rectangular cut out for windows and a larger cut out for a door. The whole fortress was an underwhelming sand color but it still held a that would normally intimidate outsiders.

Auru squinted and shielded his eyes from the last bit of sun to his left. "Seven guards on the walls, two more hidden." He informed calmly.

"I see them." Link responded

They reached the gates and dismounted. Auru and Link lead and put their hands on their heads. When the others look at them confused Auru turn to address them.

"Hands on your heads, all of you. It lessens your chances of getting shot if you can't reach your weapons quickly." He said under his breath

Turning back around they walked slowly up to the gate. As they reached it two women with blood red hair stood waiting for them. The one had her hair cut in a short bob and wore a short purple top that showed her midriff while the other had her hair styled in a single large braid that reached her knees and wore a white tank top with a burgundy shawl hung over one shoulder. They both sported the same baggy cargo pants that tighten around their waist and ankles and flat simple closed toe shoes that curled at the tip.

"State your business." The one in purple demanded harshly

"We've come to speak to Shylock." Auru responded

"Do not speak of our king in such an informal tone!" She spat

"Zandra be silent." The one in white ordered. "Why do you wish to speak with him?" She asked addressing Auru.

"The matter is confidential, and to be discussed only once your king is present." Auru stated just as calmly.

The woman narrowed her eyes but nodded to the other. The woman in purple stalked off and began pulling the lever that allowed the gate to open. They walked inside and were immediately surrounded by six other Gerudo all dress like the short haired one.

"We do not trust outsiders." The white clothed woman stated, her eyes hard. "Much less men, one wrong move and we'll kill you."

"Really Zera? Threatening our guests already? I would have thought you would wait at least until we served them dinner." A new voice spoke from behind her.

The woman, evidently named Zera, moved out of the way to reveal a man walking towards them. The man was shorter than most of the women with a slight frame; his hair like the rest of the Gerudo was blood red but was suprisingly curly. His clothes were simple, consisting only of cargo pants like the women and a sash that wrapped loosely over his shoulder and down to his waist. He currently was wandering around barefoot and had his arms crossed with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Highness." Zera acknowledged shortly. "I was unaware that you had invited visitors."

"I didn't." He said happily. "But your bedside manner really needs work regardless." He smirked as Zera glared at him.

"Now, visitors! I love visitors! What do you want?" He asked his demeanor changing from perky to suspicious in two seconds flat.

"We simply want information." Auru answered reassuringly

"About Arnold." Link added.

"Arnold?" Shylock mimicked in surprise, the earlier tension completely dissipated. "What's that crazy old man up to now?" He asked with a wide grin. "Has he gone an-" he stopped short and swiveled his body to be facing Link.

"Uh… Hold up." He said pointing a finger at Link. "Would your name be Link by any chance?"

Link tensed but nodded.

Shylock's face froze to one halfway between a smile and a petrified stare.

"The Link that killed Ganondorf?" He asked nervously

"Yes." Link answered warily

"Oh." Shylock responded his voice going a couple octaves higher. "Well if there's anything I can do for you, make you more comfortable, get some food, anything at all let me know." His words came out in a rush. He shifted to look relaxed but only managed to make himself look more uncomfortable.

Link and Auru looked at each other confused.

"I hope you realize that I'm not interested in the whole world conquest thing that my… Father was trying to achieve." Shylock said his voice much calmer but still hurried. "I don't have the time or the man -woman- power available to me, much less the desire. I mean why anyone would want to rule the world is beyond me. I can barely rule my fortress and they basically run themselves." He rambled on.

"Umm I think you're mistaken. I'm not here to kill you." Link cut in.

The king stopped short and smiled widely. "Oh good! Wonderful, well I hope that we will be fast friends then. Always happy when I find someone who doesn't want to kill me. There are very few, mind you, so I like to stay on their good side."

Mildly dizzied by this king's constant mood swings the group simply tried to keep up with the current attitude.

"Now! I suppose some introductions are in order!" He said clapping his hands together. "As I'm sure you have gathered by now I am Shylock, and this," he gestured to the woman with short hair and white clothes. "Is Zera, my second in command. As long as you stay on her good side you should be able to keep all your limbs intact."

Link listened for the joking tone but found none. Shrugging internally he nodded and turned to Auru in expectation of the introductions of their group. Auru picked up the conversational ball and gestured to himself.

"Pleased to make both of your acquaintances, my name is Auru, you already know Link, this is Ashei and Hugh." He said moving so Shylock could see them. Shylock smiled and waved, Ashei and Hugh waved back uncertainly. "And behind them are Shad and Sheik." He concluded. Shad and Zelda moved forward to greet the king.

"Oh! Your majesty." Shylock said happily bowing.

Everyone froze and looked at him wide-eyed.

Shylock looked at them all in surprise. "Wait, you guys did know that right? Otherwise this is going to be very awkward."

"No we knew, but how did you know?" Auru said unsettled

"Uh I live with all women." Shylock answered motioning around him. "I'd like to believe that I would be able to tell the difference between a man and a woman."

Auru processed that for a moment. "Fair enough, but just because you could tell that she's a woman doesn't explain how you knew she was royalty."

"Please." Shylock said looking hurt. "I think I'm capable of putting the pieces together. Hyrule's champion, former general, and best scholar and knight? It's not a long stretch, and besides I was right wasn't I?"

Zelda stepped forward and magically reverted her appearance to her ordinary gown and crown.

"I'm happy to make your acquaintance Shylock. Please forgive my discretion I was unsure where your people stood on political matters." She said calmly

Shylock came up and placed a chaste kiss on her hand. "Not at all highness, I understand completely. Now, I'm sure you're all hungry you must come join us for dinner." He said to the rest of them.

Without waiting for their reply he spun on his heel and began walking away clearly expecting them to follow.

"Oh I hope you don't mind but we actually have some other visitors at the moment so you might bump into them at some point." Shylock said over his shoulder.

"That should be fine." Zelda answered. "We don't want to impose, we just want to talk with you."

"Right, about Arnold. Later later." He waved her off. "Until then though, you must tell me how you all came to end up here, I mean it's obviously not someplace you would want to come by choice, if that boys face is any indication." He said looking at Hugh who had been glaring at the sand around them.

"Hugh's not fond of the desert as a whole." Ashei explained punching Hugh in the arm.

"Ah, well he's not alone in feeling like that, but I for one couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Don't worry you'll come around eventually." Shylock said glancing at Hugh

"Doubt it." Hugh muttered under his breath.

As they were talking they entered one of the lower buildings. The inside was the same color as the outside though there were occasional skull heads and spears for decoration. Shylock noticed them looking at them and chuckled.

"Sorry for the display, I assure you all the skulls are animal and are really just for show. The girls put them up to prove that they mean business, but they are actually quite fun if you get to know them."

Rounding a corner and climbing up a hallway on a very steep upward slant they came into an enormous rectangular room with an equally huge rectangular slate of marble that stretched the length of the room and was surrounded by pillows of all sizes and colors.

There were already around 15 other Gerudo sitting around the slate that clearly functioned as their table.

"Please have a seat, although if you don't mind could you all sit on one side of the table? The other side will be reserved for our other guests." Shylock asked somewhat apologetically. "Don't want to show favoritism you know."

"Of course." Zelda responded

"Shall I call the rest?" Zera asked suddenly appearing beside Shylock.

'What is it with second in commands feeling the need to appear without warning?' Link thought to himself

Shylock squinted out the window. "Yeah, it's about time anyway."

Zera brought two fingers to her mouth and let out an ear piercing whistle. Shad and Hugh covered their ears and the rest winced but the Gerudo didn't even flinch.

After it finished Shylock and Zera went and sat at the table with Shylock at the end and Zera next to him. The group sat across from the side Zera chose with Zelda next to Shylock followed by, Ashei, Link, Hugh, Shad and Auru. Within seconds of their sitting down some 50 plus Gerudo came streaming in from the three doors around the room, some carried weapons, others came in groups and were chatting among themselves.

As they came in other Gerudo were rushing around putting out food and wine. As they placed cups in front of Shylock and Zera, Zera reached over and started drinking from Shylock's cup. As soon as Shylock noticed he frowned and snatched the cup back from her.

"They're not going to poison me! Relax!" He said irritatedly

Zera shrugged unconcerned but was smirking. Then without warning she started coughing violently and clutching at her throat.

"Zera!?" Shylock said thoroughly alarmed. He was immediately at her side hovering unsure what to do, concern written all over is face.

Her coughing suddenly changed to a different sound and after a few seconds Link realized that she was laughing!

Shylock looked shocked. "Don't do that! That's not funny! I thought you had actually been poisoned!"

Zera just kept on laughing and soon everyone else ended up joining her. "Oh highness, I can't possibly be poisoned," she said flippantly. "Who would get you out of bed in the morning if I was dead?" She asked as she looked up at him innocently

The king's mouth twitched and it was obvious he was trying really hard not to smile. Eventually he gave up and start laughing as well.

"You're going to be the death of me." He said with a roll of his eyes as he sat back down. His smile stayed put though.

Link looked around and found that there were still a few Gerudo filing in but most noticeable was the entrance of three men after much of the people had already been seated. The one in front, and clearly the leader of the three, had dark brown hair that had grown long from what appeared to be negligence more than style. His clothing was simple and durable adorned with a sword on his back and a hookshot attached to his belt. His calculating green eyes took in the room for a few seconds but froze when they reached their group. His two companions didn't seem to notice as they continued to converse rather loudly.

The one on the right had incredibly blond hair almost to the point of being white, it was styled to look like he had just rolled out of bed but Link suspected that he had put quite a bit of time into it. His clothes were similar to the first was more black and with more weapons on display. He frowned as he was argued with the younger man on the left, was clearly having a hard time keeping his temper in check.

The one on the left was currently sticking his tongue out at the blond one but was clearly enjoying the whole ordeal. His hair was jet black and slightly mussed but more proper looking than the first two. His eyes were large and a deep blue that gave him a very innocent look. His clothes were a simple t-shirt with a hooded cloak that was about 3 sizes too large and flapped around him as he walked.

Link heard a sharp intake of breath next to him and turned to see Hugh staring at the men wide-eyed. Ashei noticed as well and started asking what was wrong, but quickly stopped when she saw the men as well. Link looked between the two wondering what he had missed.

"Is that-" Ashei started

"Yeah." Hugh answered

"But I thought-"

"I guess not."

Link hesitated but finally decided to voice his confusion.

"You know them?" He questioned

Hugh swallowed before responding.

"The one in the middle is my brother." He answered, his voice deceptively light

Link worked to keep his face impassive but couldn't help his eyebrows from raising slightly.

"Oh there they are!" Shylock said cutting off any further conversation. "Zera, would you be a dear and make sure that they come and sit down here with us?"

Zera rolled her eyes but complied. Within seconds they were standing across the table from them.

"Glad you three could make it!" Shylock greeted brightly. "Now I'm sure you're all curious to know each other's names so I will happily make the introductions." He rambled on.

Link wondered how the king didn't notice the palatable tension between the two groups.

"Ciel, meet Sheik, Ashei, Link, Hugh, Shad, and Auru." He said going down the row with a gesture to each. "Our new visitors from Hyrule." He smiled and continued. "And this is Kremisius, although he goes by Krem." He said pointing to the black haired one who smiled and waved. "Next to him is Ciel." Ciel didn't move he just stare at them coldly. "And lastly is Thane." He said gesturing to the blond. Thane crossed his arms and looked away, clearly still angry from the earlier.

"Now please, please have a seat!" Shylock told them

"Thank you for the invitation, your highness." Ciel said in a deep baritone, his hand to his chest and bowing. "However I came only with the intention to inform you that we plan to leave by early afternoon tomorrow." Thane and Krem turned and looked at him in surprise but Ciel didn't seem to notice. "We are very grateful for your kind hospitality but I will be taking my leave now." He finished, then after a glance at the other two men paused. "You two are welcome to stay for the dinner if you wish, but I have preparations to take care of."

Without another word he bowed again and calmly left.

Krem and Thane looked at each other and shrugged sitting at the table.

"You have to leave so soon?" Shylock pouted.

Krem laughed. "Apparently." He shrugged. "Its news to us."

"Shut up Krem. Ciel will tell us when we need to know, not before." Thane retorted.

"You're just upset he didn't tell you." Krem teased, still smiling.

"Watch it pipsqueak. You know I could easily de-" he growled

"Destroy me, yeah, yeah I know. You only told me about a hundred times a day." Krem said putting up a hand to ward of the oncoming threat.

Link smirked at the strange interaction. Krem noticed and smiled at him.

"Link right?" He asked

Link nodded calmly.

"So what y'all doing here? I've never met anyone else when we come to visit." He asked with childlike curiosity.

"We came to ask the king about a mutual acquaintance." Link answered

"Quit calling me king! I'm right here you know and I've got an actual name." Shylock huffed

"Sorry, came to ask Shylock." Link amended.

Krem chuckled cheerfully. "Does this acquaintance have a name?"

"His name is Arnold."

"Ah, never heard of him." Krem hummed disappointedly. "So what's it like in Hyrule? I heard there was some monster troubles recently?"

"It's fine now, the Twili have gone back to their world and Princess Zelda rules again." Link answered

Krem's eyes lit up momentarily and glanced at Sheik.

"That's good to hear! Right Thane?" Krem said turning Thane who at the time was eating sullenly.

He grunted and pointedly ignored the younger man. Krem just rolled his eyes at his attitude.

"So if you don't mind my asking, why are you two here?" Auru asked

"None of your business old man." Thane snapped

"Hey! Rude! Just because Ciel isn't around that doesn't mean you can be a jerk!" Krem scolded. He turned back to Auru. "Ignore him, he's just mean. We're here to trade, no big secret about it."

Auru seemed unaffected by Thane's comment and nodded understandingly to Krem. Hugh cleared his throat. "I need to get some air, if you'll excuse me. Thank you for dinner highness." He said getting to his feet and leaving.

Ashei continued looking at the door he had left through for a while after he was gone, her face showing obvious concern.

Hugh breathed deeply as soon as he had made it outside. The night was extremely clear and he could easily make out thousands of stars without any help of a telescope. Shivering slightly at the sudden dip in temperature he started looking for Ciel.

After wandering the grounds for a while Hugh had still found no clues to where his brother was. Just when he was feeling like he should go back inside, a soft tune drifted through the air to his ears. Picking up his pace he started towards the sound, a sound that brought such a strong sense of nostalgia that he had to fight down tears.

The sound was a violin. The song sad and eerie, but still enjoyable to listen to. Hugh rounded a corner at the end of the fortress and saw him. He stood with his back to the building, the moonlight shone on him like a spotlight as he swayed with the music. His eyes closed, he played the song from memory making up for the occasional missed note with a clear emotional attachment to the sounds.

The music came to an abrupt stop and Hugh looked up to see Ciel paused mid note staring at him with hard eyes.

"You've been practicing, you're much better than when I had last heard you." Hugh said breaking the silence.

"There's a lot that's changed since you last saw me." He responded coolly

"I suppose there would be… A lot can happen in 4 years." Hugh said sadly

Ciel sighed and lowered his violin

"What are you doing here Hugh?"

"I wanted to see you."

"You misunderstand." Ciel cut him off. "Why are you at the Gerudo fortress? You must have a reason, you wouldn't just come here for vacation."

"Funny people keep saying that to me, I wonder why?" Hugh laughed. "Must be that I'm not particularly tanned."

Ciel looked unimpressed and raised an eyebrow as if to say 'get to the point'.

"Im traveling with this group, they're called the Resistance – they were the ones at dinner."

Ciel shrugged. "Didn't pay much attention, looked capable though."

"I'll be sure to pass along the compliment." Hugh said dryly. "Anyway they're helping find this man named Arnold." He finished

"And this 'Arnold', what's so special about him? Steal your precious goat or something?" The younger man snarked

Hugh looked at him bewildered. "Don't you know?" His voice harsh

"Know what?" Ciel responded

Hugh stared at him wide-eyed. "But I thought-"

"What that I knew everything? I appreciate the vote of confidence but I honestly haven't been keeping tabs on your precious little village. Wasn't worth my time." Ciel said with a yawn.

Hugh realized the jab was aimed at hurting him but he honestly couldn't focus on anything other than his shock in that moment.

He hesitated, trying to clear his thoughts. "Our village-" he started, his eyes stinging from the recall painful memories.

"Your village." His brother corrected almost as a reflex

"Our village was attacked." Hugh pressed on ignoring the correction, he looked at the ground trying to keep his emotions under control long enough to explain. "It was a slaughter, I'm going after the man responsible, and to do that I need help from the Gerudo king." He said harshly in order not to let his voice crack.

Ciel pretended not to notice. "I'm surprised Aria didn't come with you. She always talked about traveling one day." He commented

Hugh looked like he had been punched. Ciel frowned and looked at him confused.

"Aria is dead." Hugh told him, his voice finally breaking, tears streamed down his face but not even registering that they were there.

Ciel stared at him in disbelief, his face still a mask of unfeeling

"She was killed in the attack. Pierced through the heart." Hugh said, his anger rising at his brother's apparent indifference.

"What?" Ciel said, the voice echoing in his own ears seemed so far away. Tears dripped down his face as he stared at his brother in shock.

"Wha? How? How could you let this happen?" his face twisting into one of hate.

"You were supposed to protect her!" His voice rising with every word. "How could you let her die!?" He shouted he came over and grabbed Hugh's vest between clenched hands. "She trusted you!" He yelled pounding on his chest. "I trusted you! You were supposed to protect her!" He repeated his voice breaking and his shoulders shaking as he let himself weep, his fists stilled against Hugh's chest.

"You're right it was my fault. I wasn't where she needed me to be, and I let her down" Hugh said breaking the silence that had fallen "but you left us. We were supposed to protect her and now she's gone." Tears had fallen from his eyes.

Ciel didn't responded, his eyes widening as the realization hit him, springing forth a new set of tears.

"Our only recompense, is to honor her memory and live the way she would want us to." Hugh continued, his voice dropping to a whisper as he allowed the tears of both to continue unimpeded.

Shylock listened idly to Thane and Ashei arguing about which was better in a fight, a dagger or a bow.

"A bow has obvious advantages over a dagger, as you can use it short and long range fighting." Ashei asserted

"What are you daft? You can't use a bow short range!" Thane raged

"Maybe you can't." Ashei countered, crossing her arms

Shylock smirked as he saw Thane grow two shades darker.

"What and you can?" He shot back.

"Obviously." Ashei said flippantly

"Prove it!" Thane snapped

As both started to get to there feet Shylock decided to step in.

"Now, now you'll both have plenty of time tomorrow to try to tear each other apart but for now perhaps we could try to avoid any deaths." He said calmly, taking another sip at his wine.

Ashei shrugged and sat back down, while Thane pouted and pointedly didn't look at the king while he sat down.

Shylock chuckled to himself and glanced around the dining room, most of the women had already left, either to their posts or to their rooms, leaving a rather hollow feel to everywhere except the area around his guests. Speaking of his guests, he was feeling quite excited about the whole prospect. They brought an animated revitalization to his rather dreary home. Don't misunderstand, Shylock loved the desert but he loved excitement more.

"Highness." Zera said getting his attention as she came up next to him. She had left a while ago to goddess knows where, but now was back and didn't seem pleased.

"Yes, Zera what's the matter?" He asked, tiredness seeping into his voice.

"There is a fire downstairs that I thought you should be made aware of." She said with a sigh.

"Again!?" Shylock demanded. This exclamation got everyone else's attention rather quickly.

"Oops, sorry didn't mean to interrupt." He said apologetically. "I don't want to alarm anyone but we seem to be having a minor fire problem downstairs." He paused and glanced back at Zera. "It is minor right?"

Zera winced and made a so-so motion with her hand.

"Never mind, you can be slightly alarmed if you wish." He said turning back to the group.

Krem and Thane looked at each other guiltily.

"Is it the bulblins again?" Krem asked, his voiced pained.

Zera nodded.

Thane sighed. "Ok we'll go take care of it." He said getting to his feet

Krem also hopped up. "Thanks for supper! It was nice to meet you all!" He waved before quickly leaving the room, Thane right behind him. As they left Shylock could hear them arguing among themselves.

"You said that they promised not to do it again!" Krem said

"They did, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be watched." Thane growled back

"Oh right genius, and who exactly is going to watch them? Ciel? Cuz I really doubt he would agree to that." Krem shot back.

"Well I didn't hear you volunteering to play babysitter." Thane replied.

"Why would I ever volunteer to watch a bunch of bulblins?!"

Around this point they had moved too far away from for anyone to hear them anymore.

Ashei frowned confused. "Did they say bulblins?" She asked

"Yes." Shylock answered simply as he downed the last of his wine and placed the goblet back on the table.

"Why do you have bulblins here?" She asked tensely.

"They work for Ciel." Shylock shrugged, obviously unconcerned. "I just hope they didn't burn any more armchairs, they're not the easiest things to get."

Ashei and Link looked at each other with equal confusion but decided to let the matter drop.

"Now, with that excitement out of the way, I suppose you all would like to get some sleep. If you would follow me I'll show you to your rooms." Shylock said getting up and leading them down a hallway and out into the night air on one of the roofs of the buildings. Barely giving it a passing glance Shylock entered a different building walked down one of the hallways that opened into a large wing with multiple doors on either side.

"I apologize but you will need to be split up in order for you all to have your own room. Shad, Ashei, and Sheik if you would stay here, Zera will tell you which rooms are yours. Auru and Link you can follow me." Shylock said

"Pardon highness but what about Hugh?" Auru asked

Shylock turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, should we go find him Shylock?" Auru corrected himself

Shylock smirked smugly, "No he'll be fine, I'm sure someone can direct him to his room."

Coming out onto another rooftop Shylock walked over to the edge and hopped off, landing some two stories below. Link and Auru walked over to the edge and looked down.

"Sorry! Forgot you guys aren't used to the buildings, if you don't want to jump I can tell you how to get down through the buildings, but it's a bit more difficult coming back up to where you guys are." He called up apologetically

"Don't worry about it." Auru called down, then leapt off and landed next to the king.

"I'm impressed, most men your age aren't athletic enough to do that." Shylock teased.

Auru smiled and turned when he heard a soft thump behind him. Link smiled slightly as he readjusted his shield.

"Your rooms are this way." Shylock called as he sauntered into another building. Entering another room that looked very similar to the previous one Shylock stopped and spun to look at them.

"Here we are! This wing is empty so you shouldn't need to worry about any of the women being upset at having men around." He said

Link looked around then paused. "Wait, so that other room had some Gerudo living there?" He asked

"Uh-huh." Shylock replied absentmindedly

"But you left Shad back there, aren't they going to be irritated?" He asked concerned

Shylock smiled of himself. "No I don't think they'll mind, from what I've seen Shad seems to be quite popular with my girls."

Auru started laughing. "I can't wait to see Shad's reaction to that."

Link sighed "Hopefully he won't freak out."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, now I wish you all a good night. One of the girls will be down in the morning to get you." Shylock said with a perky wave then disappeared out the door.

Link sat on the edge of his window. He watched the sun rise over the sandy dunes, creating a glowing hue of red and gold. Choosing to stay in a simple white v-neck, his baggy beige pants and his gloves he enjoyed the feeling of the morning breeze that flowed over his skin and ruffled his hair.

A harsh knocking on his door caused him to turn. A grumpy looking Gerudo marched into his room, her hand on her cutlass.

"It's morning." She told him gruffly

"So I noticed." Link answered

The Gerudo huffed. "Shylock told me to wake you, do you need me to take you to him?" She asked clearly detesting the idea.

"No I'll be fine thank you." He said dismissively

The woman didn't answer but did slam the door as she left. Link rolled his eyes.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." He muttered to himself. He got down from the window and picked up his sword. Deciding to leave his shield he strapped on his sword and bow, and tucked his hookshot in his pocket in case he wanted to go exploring later.

Wandering out into the hall he knocked on Auru's door.

"I told you I don't need a wake up call, I've been up for two hours already and I'm going to meet the king later!" Auru said from the other side of the door.

"Actually it's Link and I was just going to let you know that I was heading out." Link told him.

"Oh, sorry, I'll be around later, would you let the king know?" Auru asked

"Yeah no problem." Link responded.

Link walked out onto another rooftop and looked around, the grounds were full of Gerudo milling around. Some were standing and talking, others seemed to busy doing tasks, while others stood guard. After observing for a while he noticed Shylock and Zera walking towards the building he was on top of. Making a split second decision he jumped down and landed in front of them.

The second he landed Shylock jumped a good two feet in the air, a loud yelp escaping his mouth. Link put his hands up in an apology.

"Oh it's Link." Shylock said with relief, placing a hand on his chest as if trying to slow his heartbeat. "I see you've become comfortable with our means of getting around." He smirked

"Yep, I quite like it actually." Link smiled

"Good, so do you have plans for the day?" Shylock asked curiously

"I'm sure I can find something to amuse myself, but has Sheik discussed with you when we will be able to talk?"

"Ah, that… Right. Your princess was very insistent about it, we will be holding a meeting later, I'll be sure to send an attendant to fetch you when the time comes."

"Thank you." Link bowed and started to walk away.

"Oh Auru told me to tell you he'll be coming to find you later on in the day." Link said suddenly remembering.

"Sounds good, enjoy your morning!" Shylock called back.

Deciding to get a better knowledge of the layout first he went into the first building he came across and spent the next half hour just wandering around. He was getting quite comfortable with the fortress when he stumbled across Ashei and Hugh. They sat with their legs dangling over the edge of one of the roofs of a building that was more secluded than the others.

Hugh appeared to be talking and gesturing about something and Ashei was listening with a concerned look on her face.

Link coughed to let them know he was there.

"Hey Link." Hugh called down, his usual perkiness diminished.

Link nodded and waved. "Did you find your room alright last night?" He asked

Hugh looked slightly confused, then shook his head. "Oh, I didn't do much sleeping last night." He mumbled, causing Link to need to strain to hear him.

"Hey, get up here, we can't really talk to you down there." Ashei said her voice rather emotionless, motioning for him to join them.

Link tried not to show his worry over the way he friends were acting but did walk over to the wall and carefully picking out the foot holds. Scaling the wall with little difficulty he arrived on the roof and sat down next to Hugh.

He glanced between the two. "So what's going on?" He asked softly.

Hugh sighed and didn't answer for a couple seconds. "I told Ciel about Aria last night." He said finally.

"And how did he take that?" Link asked carefully

"It could have been worse." He admitted. "I think we might be getting better."

Link nodded, happy for Hugh. "You should go find him." He suggested

"What like right now?" Hugh asked surprised

"Yeah, he said that they were leaving a noon, you should spend time with him while he's still here." Link pointed out

Hugh thought about for a moment then seemed to perk up. "Ok, I'll do that. Thanks for the suggestion!" He got to his feet and was about to jump off when he paused.

"Do you guys want to come with me?" He asked

"Why would you want us around? Don't you want to spend time just the two of you?" Ashei objected

"Well, to be honest I'm pretty sure he would run away if he just saw me." Hugh said bashfully. "Plus I want him to meet you two."

Ashei shrugged. "Ok, it's not like I have anything better to do."

"Link?" Hugh asked

"Sure, I'll come." Link replied

After they had got down from the building and had begun walking Ashei spoke again.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know where your brother is? Because I definitely don't." Ashei repeated

Hugh looked blank for a second. "Oh, I guess not, that does complicate things somewhat doesn't it."

"Not really, I'll just go ask one of the Gerudo." Link disagreed then left to talk to one of the nearby guards.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I could find Ciel?" He asked

"They're usually around the sparring rings around this time." The woman answered pointing behind her.

"Thank you." Link said then turned back to where Ashei and Hugh were standing. "It's this way!" He called

As the approached the sparring ring they saw Ciel and Krem conversing with Thane sitting on one of the nearby boxes sharpening his sword.

"Hey look! It's Link and that girl who showed up Thane!" Krem said excitedly as they approached

"She didn't show me up!" Thane yelled defensively

"Did too." Krem teased

"You know 'she' has a name." Ashei added with a smirk

"Oops sorry, it's Ashei right?" Krem said smiling. After Ashei nodded he turned his attention to Hugh. "And you're Hugh right?"

"That's me." Hugh responded

"So what are you guys up to?" Krem asked bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"We were looking for Ciel but now we could settle that argument seeing as you and Mr. Grumpy are here as well." Ashei answered putting her hands on her hips.

Krem quickly brought his hands up to stifle a laugh while Thane just glared at her.

"You're not enough of a challenge to tempt me." Thane said loftily. "The only one worth my time is that one." He said pointing at Link with the end of his sword.

Ashei gave a short laugh. "I would love to see that. Link? You going to take that challenge?" She asked a wide grin on her face.

Link shrugged and pulled out his sword. Everyone took a seat on the surrounding boxes that made up a makeshift amphitheater.

Thane sized up Link condescendingly while Link struggled not to yawn. Link assessed Thane's skill level within seconds and could tell that it was going to be an easy fight.

"Match start in 3…2….1!" Ashei called out

Thane lunged forward his sword aimed at Link's chest. Link sidestepped and brought the butt of his handle down hard on Thane's sword causing his sword to clatter to the ground. Link twirled his sword and backed off waiting for the other man to retrieve his sword. Thane shot him a murderous glare as Ashei and Hugh cheered. Choosing a different technique Thane tried to slash across Link's waist. Link couldn't help himself from rolling his eyes this time. Effortlessly catching the attack he twisted his sword, thereby yanking his opponent's sword out his hand and sending it to the ground once again. This time Link could have swore he heard Thane growl as he retrieved the sword. Thane charged and looked as if he was going to aim for Link's head but switched last second and slashed at his feet. Link jumped slightly and landed on the flat part of the sword stopping it midway. Thane jolted as he came to a swift stop, he tried to pull the sword free but was unable to. Link stepped off and backed up, his sword still in hand. Thane was about to get up again when Ciel spoke up.

"Enough Thane. Know when you're beat." He said.

Thane looked like he was going to argue but a quick glance at Ciel made him keep his mouth closed.

"That was a very impressive display." Ciel remarked, speaking this time to Link. "If you ever are looking for a change in occupation, I know a group that would greatly benefit from your skill set."

"Yeah that's not going to happen." Ashei rolled her eyes. "He already belongs to someone else."

"And who would that be Ashei?" Link asked as he sheathed his sword.

"Us for one thing, although I'm pretty sure you belong someone else as well." She answered with a smirk

Hugh looked confused for a moment then started to smile. "Oh, I know who you're talking about now." He said with a mirroring smirk

"Please do enlighten me." Link said sarcastically

"Princess Zelda." Ashei said

"By that standard all hylilians do." Link rolled his eyes as he sat down on one of the crates.

"No, no your relationship seems more, what's the word… Special?" Ashei posed

"Important?" Hugh suggested.

"No.. Not quite."

"Intimate?"

"Yes! That's the word." Ashei laughed

"Very funny. Well you're right about one thing, though misguided as you are. I do serve the princess, so I will have to decline your kind offer." He said with a nod to Ciel

"Fair enough, just know that it's an option should you ever change your mind." Ciel shrugged.

Krem listened to the conversation with one ear but had turned his attention elsewhere. He had noticed earlier that a figure had appeared in the shadows of one of the nearby buildings and had decided to go take a look.

He knew who the figure was of course, Krem knew almost everything, it was, after all, his forte and the reason Ciel had recruited him. The hobby of finding out information had caused him to become a ridiculously talented spy, especially for someone of his age, but it wasn't because he wanted to blackmail people –although that did occasionally happen- he just was genuinely curious, and his face and demeanor made it easy for people to trust him with their information.

"I see you've taken one of my favorite listening spots." Krem said cheerfully as he came up in front of Sheik. "The way the wind blows lets noise travel a long way and the shadows make for an easier hiding place. That must be why you chose it right princess?" He said conversation

Sheik looked at him sharply.

"You're wondering how I know. No don't speak, you might give it away even more, Thane and Ciel don't know but most of the Gerudo do. He said with a glance around him.

Sheik narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Is that a threat? No I'm not going to blackmail you, honestly, do you think I'm some kind of savage?" He said irritatedly in response to her unspoken words. "I simply wanted to inform you that I knew... Stop staring at me like that - you're the one who made it blatantly obvious."

Sheik sighed and shook her head.

"Anyway enough of that subject, are you going to come and join us?" Krem asked cheerfully tugging on Sheik's sleeve and ignoring the fact that she looked like she was going to hit him over the head for touching her.

"Come on!" He whined. "It would look rude if I didn't come back with you!"

Sheik rolled her eyes and let herself be led by the overly enthusiastic young man.

"Yay! Ok so I totally want to see you fight Link, he just destroyed Thane and I want to see what he would be like against someone who's actually skilled. Ciel won't do it because he doesn't like to show off and the other two aren't as good as you are so I want you to fight him!" He rambled on as they went back over to the group.

"Krem, what have I said about bothering people?" Ciel asked as they approached.

"You said not to do it because it can make enemies, and enemies are a waste of time, money and energy." Krem answered as if he had said this a million times. "But I wasn't bothering him, he agreed to come over on his own." He continued defensively.

Ciel rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "If you say so."

Krem smiled widely and ran over to Link. He pulled on his arm excitedly.

"Come on! Come on! You're going to fight Sheik now, Thane wasn't enough of a challenge. Please, please, please!" Krem begged, his eyes widening to mimic a small puppy.

Link looked at Sheik confused, Sheik just shrugged.

"Ok, ok, I'll do it." Link relented

"Yay! Ok go, go go!" Krem said as he pushed Link into the ring. "You too!" He added coming over to Sheik and pulling her in.

Krem smiled and ran over to sit on the crates.

"So... What are the rules this time?" Link asked uncertainty

"Anything goes." Ciel answered. "Might as well make it interesting."

"Match start in 3…2….1!" Ashei called out again.

Neither moved. Sheik stood tall, her hand on her hip, centimeters away from her knives. Link was at a slight disadvantage since his sword was still strapped to his back but he stayed locked staring at his opponent.

Multiple scenarios played out in his mind. Eventually settling on one that may have seemed slightly underhanded he knew that he would need it to stay in the match.

Sheik moved first, throwing a set of five needle knives. Link ducked and put his plan to action. Grabbing his hookshot he fired it at her foot. Sheik moved a second too late and Link pulled her off her feet. He ran forward, sword now drawn he slashed downward, unsurprised when he met the edge of a kunai. Backing up and getting into a defensive position Link waited. Sheik easily got to her feet using a no hand kip-up (A/N: Don't know what that is, go look it up, it's cool) and quickly moved into a defensive pose as well.

"That's so cool!" Krem shouted from the sidelines. "Do it again!"

"Krem stop distracting them." Ciel reprimanded

"Link is so done for." Ashei commented.

"Agreed." Hugh nodded.

"You know I can hear you right?" Link said with a sigh

Sheik smirked and threw a single needle aimed at Link's dominant arm. Link blocked it and counter-attacked with a horizontal swipe. Sheik blocked and began to duel with two of her longer knives. Soon they were moving faster than the eye could follow. Their audience was getting dizzy trying to follow when Sheik unexpectedly flipped over Link and landed behind him. She shot her coiled whip out at unimaginable speed, heading straight for Link's back. Link spun and caught the whip on his gauntlet, leaving him unharmed. Sheik abandoned the weapon and began the duel again.

After a good five minutes of sword clashing against dagger and neither seemed to be getting tired Sheik decided to take a different approach and performed a back handspring to the edge of the ring and threw four sets of knives. Link's eyes widened and he backflipped to avoid the first set the jumped to the side to avoid the next two. Only problem was he didn't see the fourth. He bit back a cry when one of the needles lodged itself in his right shoulder, he could still use it but it hurt whenever he used his hand. Frowning, he watched as Sheik began to throw three kunai in sequence. He dodged two and blocked the third with his sword. He ran toward her and as he ran he bent low to pick up the fallen knives. Had he not had his gloves on he most likely would have been cut, but thankfully he had decided to wear them today.

Though he wasn't as skilled as his opponent with knives he could manage pretty well, and he mostly needed a distraction. Pausing only slightly he chucked the knives at his opponent know full well they wouldn't hit their mark. Sheik frowned and sidestepped a few inches to avoid the attack, looking down at the fallen knives as if they offended her. Link suddenly appeared a few feet to the side and whipped out Sheik's discarded metal coil. It snaked through the air and made contact with Sheik's left side. She winced but immediately counter-attacked. Narrowly avoiding being kicked in the face Link jumped to avoid getting his feet slashed.

Sheik performed what would be the equivalent to a spin attack with her shorter knife. Link blocked then slashed downward, followed with a horizontal swipe. Sheik blocked and held the two there. They both pushed to gain the advantage but their swords stayed locked between them. Sheik spun and brought her kunai to Link's throat only to find that his sword was at hers.

Both breathing heavier, a few beads of sweat glistened in the sunlight, they stayed staring at each other until Ciel began clapping.

"I believe that would constitute a draw, very well done both of you." He said with obvious respect.

The rest began cheering and shouting unintelligible comments and compliments, but neither Sheik or Link seemed to hear them they just unhooked themselves and smiled.

"I haven't had a spar like that in a while, thank you." Link said with a very small bow.

Sheik seemed to smiled and pulled out a red potion. Wordless handing it to Link, Link accepted and began to drink. After drinking half he saw his knife wound heal over, he hadn't noticed the knife itself fall out but it must have happened at some point during the fight.

"Here, I'm sure that you're going to have a pretty bad bruise if you don't have some." He said handing the bottle back to Sheik.

Sheik accepted and turned away to drink. Ashei, Hugh, Ciel and Krem came over to stand next to Link.

"That was so great! I haven't seen a real competition like that in years!" Ashei said emphasizing her words with a punch to Link's shoulder.

"And here you were saying that Link couldn't hold his own." Hugh said with a wide smile.

"So did you." Ashei pointed out

"Details, details." Hugh brushed the comment away.

"That was so amazing!" Krem broke in excitedly. "The way you slashed and blocked. And then jumping and flipping!" He exclaimed as he pretended to do the moves himself, adding in sound effects as he went. "All that's left is for you to fight Ciel and my life will be complete!" Krem finished he eyes growing to gargantuan sizes.

Ciel laughed and leaned on Krem's head with his elbow. "Another time Krem, you forget that we leave at noon."

"Aww spoilsport." Krem muttered under his breath.

"Thane quit sulking and get over here!" Ciel called turning his attention back to the crates. "I hope you realize what you've done." Ciel said to Link. "He's going to be absolutely impossible to work with for the next while." He continued with a smirk to show he was joking.

"Well maybe next time we meet he'll be a more apt opponent." Link smiled

"Let's hope so, for his sake." Ciel replied.

"Should I go prepare the bulblins?" Thane asked as he approached.

"Yes ensure that the packing is going well. I'll be along shortly. " Ciel answered. "And take Krem with you, I don't want him getting in any more trouble while we're here."

Thane glowered at Ciel making it very clear that he wasn't happy with the idea but still nodded and walked over to drag away a protesting Krem.

"Well, I wish you the best on your journey Link, I'm sure we'll meet again at some point." Ciel said extending a hand to Link.

Link shook it with a warm smile.

"I'll be looking forward to it." He said

Ciel smiled back and walked over to where Ashei was standing.

"Hugh left with Thane and Krem, in case you were wondering." Ashei said conversationally

Ciel shrugged. "He's free to do what he wants. However, I would like to have the opportunity to speak with you more before we leave, if that wouldn't inconvenience you in some way?"

Ashei looked somewhat taken aback but managed a relatively fluid shrug.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind." She said

"Glad to hear it, perhaps you could accompany me back to the rooms, I would rather not leave Krem and Thane unattended for too long."

"Fair enough." Ashei responded falling into step with Ciel.

Link watched them go and pretended not to notice that Sheik had come to stand next to him.

"So what are you going to do now?" Zelda asked, her voice quiet and somewhat gruff in an attempt not to be overheard.

"Not sure, there's still plenty of time to kill." Link shrugged. "I was considering going to the shooting range, would you be interested in joining me?" He asked turning to look at her.

Zelda nodded, and Link could tell she was smiling.

"So where are you guys going after this?" Ashei asked after walking for a few minutes.

"We're going back to our base, I need to check in to make sure that my general has thing under control, and I probably should be there to receive the incoming shipments." Ciel said

"You have a general?" Ashei asked in surprise

Ciel smirked like he was enjoying a private joke. "Of sorts" he responded

Ashei quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything further.

"So how long have you known my brother?" Ciel asked, his voice as emotionless as possible.

"Met him when we passed through your village. He told us about what had happened and insisted on coming with us." Ashei smirked. "Thought he was going to be a nuisance if I'm being honest, but he went out of his way to prove me wrong."

"Well he's always been a hard worker, have to give him that." Ciel said begrudgingly

"He said the same thing about you." She responded. "He's actually pretty proud of you."

"He has no reason to be." Ciel said, bitterness creeping into his voice. "I left. I left and my sister is dead."

Ashei's face softened. "I'm sorry for your loss, Hugh told me that you just found out."

"I don't need your sympathy." Ciel grumbled looking away.

"I think you do." Ashei disagreed. "Isolating yourself will not make things better, life is too short and unforgiving to push away the people who want to help you."

Ciel looked at her with a mixed expression of insulted but curious as to what she would say next.

"You left home to prove yourself, I get it. I did the same thing. But that doesn't mean that you know everything. And shutting yourself off and acting cold and aloof won't make things any easier on yourself. People want to help you. Your brother wants to help you."

Ciel stayed silent but Ashei could tell he was thinking about what she had said. It wasn't long until they reached the building Ciel, Thane and Krem were staying in. Walking through the entrance Ashei saw Ciel pull himself up to his full height and glance around as bulblins scurried around loading boxes and sacks of various sizes and shapes.

"Thane." Ciel barked.

Thane ran over and stood in front of him.

"The bulblins are nearly finished we are on schedule to leave at noon." He reported, clearly pleased.

"Good thank you. Please continue supervising." Ciel said with a small smile.

Thane nodded and returned to the other end of the room.

"Hi Ciel! Hi Ashei!" Krem said appearing behind them. "I guess Thane already told you right? Well in case he didn't we can leave at noon without any trouble." He said with a grin and a phony salute.

"Yes he told us but I'd rather hear it twice than not at all." Ciel answered returning the grin.

Krem tilted his head slightly, staring at Ciel with a strange expression before glancing at Ashei with a quirked eyebrow.

"Hey you came!" Hugh said as he came up and draped an arm over Ciel's shoulder. "I thought you would have stayed with Link and Sheik." He said to Ashei.

"And miss this fun?" She responded sarcastically but was smiling.

"Hugh's been helping move all the boxes onto the wagons! He's super fast!" Krem said jumping back into the conversation.

"Still nothing compared to you, I have no idea where you get all that energy." Hugh joked.

"That's because it's top secret." Krem answered playfully with a finger to his lips. "I would have to kill you if I told you."

"Well we wouldn't want that." Ciel added quietly.

Hugh and Krem looked a little confused but both smiled at the statement.

"All packed up." Thane said

"I guess we'll be off then." Ciel said. He turned to Ashei. "It was pleasant to meet you miss Ashei, I approve of my brother's choice." He added turning and smirking at Hugh's flustered face.

"Bye Ashei! Bye Hugh!" Krem said waving as he walked toward the entrance.

Thane just sniffed and shoved his hands in his pockets then followed Krem.

Ciel watched them go then made a step as if to follow them but stopped. After standing in place a millisecond long he spun and pulled Hugh into a hug.

"I hope to see you again soon." He whispered before letting go and chasing after the other two.

Hugh just stood there with a stunned expression.

"If you keep your mouth open like that flys will get in." Ashei commented

"Nice shot." Link complemented as Sheik landed another in a long line of bullseyes

"Thanks, but this type is relatively easy, I've been more trouble with this trick shot that I've been trying to learn." She responded.

"What's the trick shot consist of?"

"Basically it goes like this." Sheik laid the bow and arrows on the ground and sitting down began holding the bow with her feet. Notching the arrow she pulled herself into a handstand, the bow now above her head. Straining slightly she began pulling the arrow back and aiming at the target. Releasing the arrow if flew. And completely missed the target.

"As you can see I haven't mastered it yet." Sheik huffed as she went back to a standing position.

"Still impressive." Link said going to retrieve the arrow. "My current work in progress is a bit different than that."

"Oh? And what's yours?" Sheik asked.

Link came back and accepted the bow. Turning away from the target he notched the arrow and turned the bow so it was aimed at his chest. Lifting the bow he rested it on his shoulder and pulled the string taut. Glancing over his other shoulder he adjusted his aim. He let the string go and quickly turned to see what happened. The arrow just grazed the edge of the target before falling to the ground.

"Close." Sheik said. "Cool trick, I'll have to try that one."

"Well yours is more impressive but I'm not nearly as flexible as you are so it wouldn't be a very good option for me." Link chuckled.

"You couldn't possibly just shoot like normal people could you." Shylock remarked as he sauntered up to stand next to them.

"Shylock." Link said in greeting.

"Just a name as greeting? So sad." He teased. "Just came by to tell you lunch will be ready in a couple minutes."

"Oh thanks, where's Zera?" Link responded, looking around curiously

"Hopefully nowhere around here." Shylock answered with a nervous glance around.

Link smirked. "What happened this time?"

"Nothing to do with me if that's what you're implying." Shylock quipped, instantly very defensive.

"I wasn't."

"Oh ok…. Ok fine I may or may not have lost an item of some value." Shylock admitted

"'Some' value?" Link repeated

He cleared his throat and avoided their gaze. "5,000 rupees worth of value." Shylock said begrudgingly

"What?!" Link and Sheik both said in surprise

"Hey! I came over here because I thought you guys would be fun!" Shylock pouted

"Fine, fine. So are you going to lead us to lunch or are you going to make us try and find it on our own?" Link responded

"While it would be fun to let you figure it out on your own." Shylock dawdled. "I suppose I could be persuaded to help if you ask really nicely." He said with a playful grin.

Link and Sheik just stared at him.

"Or not. I guess I'll just be a nice person instead." Shylock sighed dramatically and began walking towards the main buildings.

"Your thoughtfulness knows no bounds." Link chuckled as he began to follow Shylock.

"I know right?" He said sticking out his tongue. "So are you guys going to tell me about your morning or do I have to fill the conversation space with boring trade agreements?"

"Not a whole lot to tell, just toured your fortress then sparred with Thane, then Sheik arrived, sparred with he-him then saw off Ciel and his crew, and went to the shooting range." Link related.

"You two sparred? Oh I'm sorry I missed that. Who won?" Shylock asked

"It was a draw." Link answered

"Ah, and what about those other two, what have they been up to?" Shylock continued

"Ashei and Hugh? I'm not sure, they were around until Ciel left, then I haven't seen them since."

"Well I'm sure that they will find their way to the dining room." Shylock responded unconcerned

"So what's being served for lunch?" Link asked

"Probably 'shut up and eat the food I put on your plate'… Although it's Thursday so it might be 'I don't care what it looks like, it's healthy so you're going to eat it and enjoy it or else'." Shylock said with a very straight face until he turned to look at them and broke out into a grin. "Veggies and boar, to properly answer your question."

Link shared a glance with Sheik, conveying that he really wasn't sure how to deal with the strange mannerisms of the king. Sheik just shrugged as if to say 'just go with it'.

"Ok." Link answered the king then quickly changed the subject. "Have you seen Shad around anywhere? Last I saw him was at supper last night."

"Oh that's easy! He's right there." Shylock responded pointing over to another section of buildings.

Link and Sheik turned to look and saw Shad sitting on a wooden crate surrounded by about six different ranking Gerudo. Shad was eagerly talking and showing them something from one of his books. The women all listened attentively and a couple of them had even sat down next to him or were leaning over his shoulder.

"I guess you were right about them liking him." Link said

Shylock snickered. "Yeah I overheard them talking about how 'adorable' and 'cute' he was, I guess the girls are more used to warriors not scholars."

They walked for a few more minutes before entering one of the building's dark entrances.

"We're going to be eating in one of our more utilitarian dining rooms today, the room we were in yesterday is usually only for when we have large numbers of guests." Shylock said as he lead them down a staircase into a basement room, it was set up with about 12 tables seating 10 people each. The tables already had bowls and plates arranged on them with boar and vegetables just as Shylock had said.

Zera sat at one of the tables across the room and glanced up at them as they entered. Shylock strutted over as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Hello Zera dear, how the temper?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

Zera just stared at him with a very unimpressed look on her face.

"Ah. Icy then, fair enough I was worried you would still be at venomous." He remarked. Glancing over to Link and Sheik he added. "You can come sit, I've declared it safe!" He grinned

"'Safe' is a relative term but do please join us." Zera said taking a sip of her wine.

"Thank you." Link murmured as he sat next between Shylock and Sheik.

"So, I trust you were able to find something to amuse yourself for the morning?" Zera inquired politely

"Yes, we made good use of your sparring ring and archery range, it was very pleasant." Link responded

"Glad to hear it, you'll also both be glad to know I've booked off the king's afternoon so you could hold your meeting." She commented

"Thank you, we really need to move forward with this as fast as we can so we appreciate your assistance." Sheik responded

"Of course, his highness is happy to be helpful, isn't he?" Zera said her voice bordering on dangerous.

"Yeah, yeah helpful I got it." Shylock replied with a dismissive wave clearly distracted by his food.

"Hey guys." Ashei announced as she twirled a chair to be facing the opposite direction and sat down. Hugh came over and sat next to her followed by Auru.

"I see you found your way here without any trouble." Shylock remarked as he twirled his fork.

"Yep, we bumped into Auru on our way and he told us where to go." Hugh said

"Where's Shad?" Ashei asked

Shylock glanced around and smirked. "Right there." He said looking at one of the doorways.

Shad walked over accompanied by the group Link and seen him with earlier.

"Hi everyone! I hope I'm not late." Shad said happily

A small glance from Zera caused the other Gerudo to say their goodbyes and depart to other tables.

"Made some friends?" Auru asked with a smirk

"Yeah actually, they're really nice, and they wanted to learn about the Oocoo. They're really good listeners."

"Really?" Ashei dawdled with fake interest. "I'm sure they were very interested in what you were teaching." She teased

Shad's rolled his eyes. "I'm well aware that that was not the only reason they spent time with me, however I am slightly insulted that you think so little of me to think I would be so oblivious."

"Oblivious to what?" Ashei asked playing dumb.

"I realize that they are attracted to me on a romantic level, however I barely know any of them so nothing would come of it." He retorted calmly as he began to eat. "Besides it was nice to have some company seeing as all of you were otherwise occupied."

"Well if you should choose a companion of one of my girls you have my full support Shad." Shylock put in with a grin. "Now princess, since you seem so insistent on holding a meeting with me we might as well begin now. That way I can be eating and listening at the same time, much more efficient you see." He said before taking a large bite of meal and looking at Sheik expectantly.

"Fair enough. I guess it would be best to start at the beginning." Zelda said to which Shylock nodded happily. "Our group was on our way to deal with a dragon that had been attacking villages on the edge of our border when we met Arnold, whom we've been told you are already acquainted."

"Yep, he's absolutely nuts, it's great! Never a dull moment when I came to visit the castle." Shylock responded with a laugh.

"Yes well, I believe his madnesses has gone a bit too far this time." Zelda continued. "He joined our party and accompanied us to Kakariko, then on to Hugh's village."

"Even though we tried to leave him behind." Ashei muttered

"While we were in Hugh's village we learned that the dragon had been being controlled by a man and that that man was seeking some kind of ancient relics." Zelda stated. "Hugh would you please explain what the relics are?" She asked

Hugh started at being addressed but quickly cleared his throat and picked up the conversation. "Well I don't know a whole lot about them myself, I just know that they have extremely powerful destructive force if they're all brought together. Our towns founders built the town on top of one of the 5 temples that contained a relic… But the information about their origin or what their made of is so conflicted and cryptic that it might as well be guesswork."

"Oh! Oh! Let me guess! Arnold wants to get them right?!" Shylock burst out, raising his hand like an excited school child.

Link quickly covered his mouth to hide his smile, then turned to look at Zelda so he wouldn't start laughing at the Kings excitable personality.

"Ye-s." Zelda stuttered getting slightly flustered by the strange turns of the conversation. "He actually is already in possession of 4 of them."

"Of course we only found out about that when he told his dragon to attack us." Link said picking up the conversation so Zelda could have a break.

"That fight didn't go so well." Zelda shook her head.

"At least we're all still alive." Link pointed out

"That's true." Zelda said with a small smile.

She cleared her throat as if to continue.

"So when's the wedding?" Shylock asked suddenly as he rested his chin in his hands, a playful smirk very evident.

"What?" Zelda and Link exclaimed at the same time

"Your wedding,"he repeated with a gesture at Zelda and Link. "I realize you don't know me all that well but I will be rather insulted if I'm not invited."

Hugh and Ashei burst out laughing while Link and Zelda both blushed beet red, trying and failing to construct a sentence to say that they were not in fact getting married.

Zera chose this moment to interject.

"I apologize for his highness, he doesn't know when to told his tongue." She said shooting Shylock a glare.

"What?" Shylock asked defensively. "Wait are they not getting married?! Why not!?" He whined turning to Link and Zelda with a very unhappy expression

This caused another bout of laughter from Ashei and Hugh.

"Princess perhaps it would be best if you simply continue with your story."

Still quite flustered Zelda only managed an embarrassed "Sorry what?"

"I was saying it might be best if you just ignore my idiot king and continue with your story." This elicited an offended "Hey!" from Shylock

"Right... what was I saying again?" she muttered to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Relics." Auru supplied helpfully

"Oh yes, Arnold has 4 of them and we fear that he may be on his way to collect the final one… But we don't even know where that is." She said with a small sigh

"I can help with that." Shylock said sitting back in his chair and looking rather bored

"Excuse me?"

"I know where the last relic is. Or rather I know how to find out where it is." He continued flippantly

After a small stunned silence, Zelda choked out a deceptively calm "How long have you known this?"

"A while why?"

"And when were you planning on telling us this?" Zelda asked her voice tight

Shylock frowned slightly. "I'm feeling a bit attacked right now."

Zelda placed her head in her hands. "How do we find out where it is?" She asked finally her voice muffled but more like her normal tone.

"Oh that's easy, you just would have to ask the people who made them, the Koni." Shylock's responded with a bright smile.

Zelda glanced at Auru for an explanation.

"The Koni live on the grasslands, I don't know much about them personally but I know that they're nomads." Auru said in response to the unasked question

"What's there to know?" Shylock scoffed. "They're boring and obsessed with horses. I mean they have like, no valuables at all. It makes them absolutely pointless to stea- trade with." He corrected quickly with a nervous grin.

"I see you've tried to trade with them before?" Zelda deadpanned

"Yeah, it was such a let down all we got were a few horses." Shylock sighed.

"How long would it take to get to them?" Zelda asked moving on to a different subject.

"Who knows?" Shylock shrugged. "They move around all the time so they could be almost anywhere." He accentuated his words with pointing on multiple different directions.

Ashei groaned. "More boring horse riding?" She asked with a grimace.

"Maybe not." Link said softly, when everyone turned their attention to him he cleared his throat and continued. "I mean the problem is knowing where they are right? So we just need to track them; a group that big shouldn't be that hard to follow."

"That certainly makes things easier." Hugh smirked

"So is everyone alright to leave in an hour? I'd rather not lose any more time than necessary." Zelda asked

"Hmm, that doesn't give me much time but I'm sure that I can be ready, just need to a pack a few things and we should be good to go!" Shylock said after second of thinking.

"What?"

"Well I'm coming with you." He said as if it was obvious.

"No you're not." Zera said crossing her arms.

"Yes I am." Shylock countered. "I know the most about the Koni and about Arnold, they need me."

"You do recall that the Koni have a price on your head right?" She said quirking an eyebrow.

"After all this time? I thought they would have been over that by now." He frowned

Link gently elbowed Zelda. "He could be useful, there's probably other stuff he knows about that he just hasn't felt it was important enough to mention." He whispered

Zelda looked like she was considering it when Ashei leaned over.

"Not to mention it would be entertaining." She added

Zelda sighed. "Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be away from your people for a long period of time?" She asked

"They'll be fine, right Zera?" Shylock answered

Zera rolled her eyes. "It's clear I'm not going to win this argument, so yes we'll be fine, we might actually get something productive done while you're gone."

"Aww, I'm going to miss you too!" Shylock said placing his hand over his heart.

"Then we would be happy to have you." Zelda sighed resigned.

"Did you hear that? They would be honored to have me accompany them." Shylock said elbowing Zera.

"That's not what she said." Zera muttered but had a small smile.

"Fair enough, meet at the front gates in an hour." Zelda said as she rose to her feet.

Shylock quickly stood up too and saluted. "Roger that! Come on Zera!" He said excitedly as he sped out of the room.

Zera stood and left followed by Auru , Shad, and Zelda.

"I'm surprised you voted to have him come along Link." Hugh said as he came to stand next to Ashei.

"Well, like Ashei said; it will be entertaining. Plus I didn't want a repeat of Arnold." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"True, odds are he would tag along even if we said no." Hugh agreed

"At least this time we could have had Zera chain him up so he wouldn't follow." Ashei joked.

"I guess. I'm going to pack up, see you in a bit." Link said as he left.

"Well that didn't take long." Shad said as he came over to join Auru, Link and Hugh.

"Didn't unpack much." Link responded

"Practice from being in the army." Auru added

"I didn't even go to my room." Hugh shrugged

"I'm not sure if I should be impressed or worried for your health." Shad deadpanned

"Probably a bit of both." Sheik said as she appeared behind them, causing Hugh to jump quite hilariously.

"Why do you feel the need to do that!?" He asked irritatedly

"Because you always give such a good reaction." Ashei responded as she walked up the group

"Sorry sorry! Packing took longer than I thought it would!" Shylock sang as he came up to meet them. He had a small beige satchel at his hip and had his hair tucked into kufiya, Zera followed behind him and was leading a large Arabian horse without a saddle.

"Do you have everything you'll need?" Link asked

"Yep! Thanks to Zera here, I'll be ready for anything." Shylock said with a smile as he walked over to her. "Try not to have too much fun without me." he said as he pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"Try to keep out of trouble highness." Zera responded returning the hug.

Shylock chuckled and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"No promises." He smirked.

Pulling away he climbed up onto the horse and rode over to the group.

"Alright let's go! Don't want to keep Arnold waiting." He said with a laugh.


	16. A Dispute About a Horse

The sun had almost fully set when they finally stopped to make camp, but the group had managed to travel far enough to come to a section that had harder packed earth instead of the desert sand. They all split off into groups to take care of separate tasks. Shad was in charge of food while Shylock, Ashei, Link, and Sheik set up the tents and Auru and Hugh watered the horses and unpacked the bedding.

"Why. Is. This. Stupid. Thing. Not. Working!?" Shylock cried as he got more and more tangled in the tent he was 'helping' set up.

"I take it you haven't had much experience in pitching a tent before." Link said as he attempted to untangle the very annoyed king.

"The girls always finished before I got a chance to help." He replied sullenly. "It's not like I didn't want to help!"

Link finally helped him get free of the confines of the material when they heard Ashei and Zelda giggling behind them.

"What!? Oh come on! That's so unfair when did you learn how to set up a tent!" Shylock complained pointing an accusing finger at the princess and the two completed tents.

"I've had practice since the beginning of this journey." She responded with a teasing smirk. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get better."

"Yeah, after gravity stops working." Ashei added as Shylock made another attempt to hang up a piece of the tent; only to have it pull down the rest, much to the dismay of Link.

"Supper's ready!" Shad called.

"Go ahead I'll finish up here." Link said to which the king sighed but nodded

Dinner was more entertaining than usual as Shylock made sure to regale them with the most outlandish stories he could recall.

"I think I'm going to scout ahead, figure out where we're going tomorrow." Link announced as he finished his plate. "Don't wait up." He added then quickly transformed into a wolf and lopped away.

"Sorry, we probably should have warned you but, Link can turn into a wolf." Ashei said to Shylock

"Ok." Shylock shrugged and took a sip from his mug.

"You don't seem awfully bothered by this." Hugh observed

"Trust me it's not the weirdest thing I've seen." Shylock responded

After they finished cleaning up Shylock, Shad and Auru went to sleep and Zelda took the first watch, going over to stand near the horses leaving Ashei and Hugh next to the fire.

"He seriously didn't know how to put up a tent?" Hugh asked incredulously. "I mean I'd never really gone camping but I knew how to set up a tent."

"Must come from being royalty." Ashei scoffed.

"I guess… So what do you think, and did Zelda offer to do first watch because she wanted to prove herself to Shylock or to wait up for Link?" He asked with a grin

"Link, definitely." Ashei answered immediately

"Yep, oh hey I meant to ask you, what did you and Ciel talk about?" Hugh asked changing the subject.

"Oh I just told him that not to isolate himself and let others help him… Like you. He respects you, he didn't say it in so many words but it's clear he does." She said with a smile, turning so she could look him in the eye.

Hugh laughed slightly. "I was pretty surprised when he hugged me, but I guess I have you to thank for that."

"Well that part was probably because I essentially told him that's life's too short to have regrets, so just do what you think would be best. Although I was as surprised as you were about the hugging thing." Ashei said with a smirk

Hugh was quiet for a while before he responded. "That's pretty good advice actually." He said looking at her. "The not regretting part."

"Well feel free to quote me on that then."

"I'm sure I will." Hugh said quietly, then before Ashei could even register what was happening he kissed her. It was gentle albeit a bit rushed, and over much too quickly for her tastes.

"Wh-what was that?!" Ashei sputtered as her brain tried to catch up

"I was just taking your advice." Hugh replied with a very smug look on his face.

"Wait so, what exactly does this mean?" She asked her face somewhat flushed.

"It means… well I suppose it means I should be asking you if you would you be interested in courting me?" He said nervousness starting to set in.

Ashei looked at him surprised.

"You're not actually surprised are you?" He said, " I mean I haven't exactly been subtle about how I felt about you."

Ashei laughed, taking Hugh completely off guard.

"Of course not, I'm just surprised it took you this long idiot!" She laughed again.

"So it that a yes?" Hugh asked with a wide smile.

"Yes, I'll court you." She answered punching him lightly on the arm. "You'd better make a good boyfriend."

"I'm sensing an or else at the end of that statement." Hugh said raising an eyebrow.

"Yep, and I'll let you fill the rest." She smirked and grabbed hold of his vest pulling him down to her level and stealing a kiss of her own. Letting go she stood up and walked toward her tent pausing only long enough to look back at Hugh's flustered state.

"Goodnight Hugh." She called behind her before slipping into her tent.

It took all of Hugh's self-control to stop himself from shouting in triumph.

Zelda leaning against one of the trees near where the horses were sleeping. She absentmindedly rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up, the days of poor sleep beginning to catch up to her. Soft pattering of paws behind her caused her to draw her attention away from the plain around her.

"Everything go ok?" She asked as Link transformed back into a human.

Link flexed his jaw and shook himself to get rid of the residual tingling feeling. "Yeah not bad, they're actually not too far from here, just about a day and a half."

"That's good, I'm glad we'll be able to get some answers soon." Zelda said rubbing her arms to warm herself.

Link noticed and tilted his head. "Are you cold? We could move over to the fire." He offered

"Sure, I'm pretty sure Ashei and Hugh forgot to put it out so it shouldn't be too hard to start up again." She said as they walked over and sat opposite each other and poked at the embers to get it going again.

"You look tired." Zelda said noticing dark circles under his eyes that mirrored her own.

Link chuckled almost darkly. "Yeah, it's those goddess awful nightmares." He said shaking his head.

Zelda hummed sadly. "I was hoping it was just me." She sighed

"The dreams just keep getting worse. I find myself trying to come up with reasons not to go to sleep." Link said staring at the ground.

"I find the same thing, that's why I keep offering to take the first watch." Zelda admitted.

Link watched her stare into the fire, her simple shirt and pants creating a simplistic light show from the crackling flames.

"Oh! I know something you could try." She said suddenly.

"What?" Link asked minorly startled by the sudden remark.

"Well, I mean I like it but not everyone does. Here give me your arm." She said holding her hands out to him.

Link curiously reached out his arm. Zelda gently took hold and moved so she was sitting closer. Pushing up the sleeves she looked up at him.

"My grandmother used to do this to me and I always found that it relaxed me." She explained.

Taking Link's arm with one hand she began gently running her fingertips along his skin, starting at the crook of his arm down to the palm of his hand.

Link shivered at the strange sensation.

"It tickles." He admitted quietly

"Yeah it kind of does." Zelda laughed. "But you get used to it."

Moving back up his arm she flipped her hand over and moved her hands down to his wrist this time using her fingernails. Continuing to repeat these patterns and tracing nonexistent shapes over his skin Link felt his eyes sliding closed. Jumping he shook himself awake.

"Oh sorry, did I hurt you?" Zelda asked worry lacing her voice.

"No no! I just was falling asleep." Link smiled embarrassedly.

Zelda laughed. "I guess it was working then."

"Yeah it was certainly interesting." Link agreed.

Zelda blushed and brought her hands back to her lap. "Well I always enjoyed it, so I thought I would try it."

Link smiled then reached over and took hold of her hand, pulling it gently toward him.

"Wha-?"

Link shushed her soothingly and turned her arm so the underside was facing up. Carefully removing his gauntlets he began to attempt to mimic Zelda's actions. Zelda blushed but sat still. The first few minutes were rougher and tenser than Link had hoped but after a bit he began to figure out the technique and could feel Zelda relaxing. He was so wrapped up in keeping his fingers light that when he looked up he saw that Zelda's head was drooping and bobbing as she tried to stay awake. Not wanting her to fall over he let Zelda's arm go back to her lap and moved next to her.

Before Zelda had a chance to say anything he carefully picked her up and began walking towards the tents.

"I'm not that tired." She protested weakly.

"I know, but you should get some sleep now, I'll keep watch." He responded as he set her on her mat. On a moment of impulse he bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before slipping out of the tent into the night.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Ashei asked for the third time that morning.

Link just huffed, casting an annoyed glance behind him.

"He got us to the dragon, I'm sure he can get us to the Koni." Shad said tiredly rubbing the sleep from his eyes

"It's just that this place is completely flat! Don't you think we would be able to see a huge group of people?" Ashei protested

"Link said it was a day and a half away, that's plenty of time where we wouldn't see anyone." Sheik added.

"Fine, fine." She relented

"I don't understand what you all are so bothered about, it's not like Arnold is going to be able to get to the relic any faster than we are." Shylock chimed happily

"Ashei just isn't too fond of horseback riding for long periods of time." Hugh called back

"It's not the riding, it's just not having anything interesting to do." Ashei groaned

"Oh! I have an idea! Why don't you play a game?" Shylock said excitedly

"Like what?" She sneered

"There's lots of games! One is where one person chooses an object and everyone else has to guess what is is."

"Oh yeah? Ok I'm thinking of one... Are you going to guess grass? BECAUSE THAT'S LITERALLY THE ONLY THING AROUND HERE!" She snapped

"Yikes! Fine if you're not going to play right then I don't want to play with you." Shylock huffed crossing his arms.

"Hey Ashei." Hugh called

"What!" She snapped again.

"Ta-da~" He sang as he proudly displayed a flower crown that he had clearly just made.

Ashei stared at him dumbfounded for a second before beginning to laugh.

"Where did you learn to do that?" She giggled, her earlier anger completely dissipated

"My sister." He said simply then placed the crown on his head. "What do you think? does it suit me?" He asked with a smirk, turning so she could fully see it placed on his spiky hair.

She covered her mouth to stifle another laugh. "It might not be the most flattering thing I've seen on you but it is very cute."

Hugh laughed along with her.

"Hmm, maybe you're right." He said taking it off and guiding his horse over next to her's. "This would be much better." He grinned as he reached over and placed it on her head.

Ashei rolled her eyes. "It's not really my style." She said carefully touching it.

"I disagree. I think it matches perfectly with your wide variety of swords and daggers." He joked. "But! It ruins the whole effect if you don't smile." He said trying to sound like a fashion advisor.

Ashei smirk instantly fell back into a frown but her cheeks were a bit redder.

"No, no like this!" Hugh said then demonstrated a wide smile.

Ashei snickered. "What like this?" She asked before pulling her mouth into what almost looked like a grimace.

"Mmm, not quite try again but less like you want to kill someone." Hugh instructed

Ashei rolled her eyes again and changed her 'smile' into something that looked more normal.

"Getting there, getting there, but you have to think about something happy, then you'll be smiling with your whole face not just your mouth." He said

"Ugh! This is stupid." She sighed, looking away.

"No, no you're so close try again!" Hugh pressed

"Fine." She relented, smiling a smile that was very close to genuine.

"Beautiful." Hugh beamed before zipping in and kissing her.

"Hey!" She cried as he pulled ahead of her laughing. "Don't think you can just get away with doing that anytime you feel like it!" She called after him.

"Well you're going to have make me stop then." He teased.

"Oh yeah?" She responded and urged her horse to chase after him.

The rest of the group watched as they ended up getting involved in what was almost like a game of tag but with a lot more yelling.

"It's about time." Shad muttered. "I was wondering if he would ever get around to asking her."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Auru smirked

"I see them." Sheik called out. By this point it was early the next day and the morning light was glinting off the wagons of the Koni.

"What really? Man you have good eyes." Ashei said. "Where's Link's hawkeye mask? I want to take a look." She rode over next to Epona and grabbed said mask from Link's pack.

"Wow there's quite a few of them." She stated as she looked through the mask.

"Yeah? How many?" Hugh inquired

"Couple hundred. Probably about 70 wagons, and a ridiculous amount of horses." She commented

"Told you they love horses." Shylock sighed

"Have they spotted us yet?" Hugh asked

"I can't tell, I'll let you know though." Ashei said

"Hey guys." Link said as he transformed back to his human self. "I figure it might be easier if I don't have to explain the whole wolf thing." He said as he mounted Epona

"Welcome back to being human, I stole your mask." Ashei remarked.

"I noticed, see anything interesting?" He asked

"Well, there's this absolutely adorable toddler, she keeps falling over but other than tha- oh wait... They've spotted us." She said bringing her hand up to shade her eyes. "Yeah they're waving and pointing at us."

"Hmmm, took them longer than I thought it would." Auru said.

"Uh, guys? They look angry." Ashei interjected

"Angry?" Shad asked

"Yeah, like mounting horses with weapons kind of angry." She said her hand creeping toward her bow.

"Why?" Link questioned

"How should I know?" Ashei demanded

"What should we do?" Hugh asked

"Well let's not attack unless it's in defence, we do still need their help." Link said grabbing his sword.

"HEY! They're shooting arrows at us!" Shad cried as he ducked, narrowly dodging said arrow.

"Ok no way, I'm not going to let them just shoot at my friends, I'm going in." Ashei growled charging her horse forward, her own bow drawn.

"Ashei! Don't hurt them!" Auru called after her, spurring his horse to follow.

Link frowned and took off his shield, he rode back and handed it to Shad. "You and Shylock hang back, try not to get injured." He commanded. "Sheik, Hugh we'd better go help, they've already made it clear that they won't hesitate to hurt us." He said before sending Epona after Ashei and Auru.

The first wave of arrows reached Link and he started to regret not having his shield. In that moment though He remembered Shad's gift and activated it just in time to knock the arrows away.

The first Koni that got close enough swung his sword at Link which he quickly parred and cut the belt holding the saddle making the man have to jump free to avoid falling with the saddle. By this point three other riders had circled him, two men and a woman. One of the men had his bow trained on Link so he went after him first. The man shot an arrow at Link's shoulder which he dodged before slicing the bowstring making it snap back. This temporary stunned the man giving Link time to kick him off his horse.

'He aimed at my shoulder so they clearly don't want to kill us, but that still doesn't tell me why they're attacking us.' He thought to himself as he circled the two remaining riders.

The woman who was closest slashed at his legs causing him to back away. He realized too late that she wasn't planning on actually hitting him she was just pushing him toward the second man. Link looked back just in time to see the man pull him off Epona by the neck of his tunic. Though the man didn't look particularly bulky he was clearly exceedingly strong as he was able to hold Link in the air with one hand.

"Why are you attacking us?" Link demanded as he tried to pry the man's fingers away.

"You stole from us!" The woman answered riding over and aiming an arrow at his back.

"What are you talking about?! We've never been here before!" Link protested.

"The red-haired one, the one traveling with you, that is the one she is referring to." The man said

"Oh for goddesses sake." Link muttered shaking his head. "Sorry about this." He said before flipping up and kicking the man solidly in the chest with both his feet. The surprise caused the Koni to drop Link. Link quickly got to his feet and drew his bow, shooting an arrow that shattered the wood part of the woman's bow.

"I need to go have a word with Shylock, I'm sorry if I hurt either of you in some way." Link called behind him before jumping onto Epona and riding away. On his way he noticed Sheik was currently completely surrounded by Koni.

"Hey! A little help?" She called

"Jump on!" Link called back as he rode around the circle.

Hoisting herself up so she was standing on the saddle of her horse she jumped over to the nearest horse before leaping onto the back of Epona.

"Ok so any idea what's going on?" Sheik asked

"Apparently Shylock stole from them, hence the attacking." Link sighed. "What's the status of Hugh, Ashei, and Auru?"

Sheik was quiet for a moment and she twisted around to look. "Ashei and Hugh have teamed up but it looks like Auru has come to the same conclusion as us."

"You mean he's following us?" Link asked

"Yeah, he seems a bit ticked off."

"I almost feel sorry for Shylock. Do you mind calling Hugh and Ashei? We might as well regroup." Link asked.

"Sure." Sheik shrugged then let out an ear-piercing whistle. After Ashei and Hugh turned she motioned for them to follow.

Link pulled Epona to a stop next to Shad and Shylock.

"Ah the fierce warriors return!" Shylock said jovially. "How'd it go?" He grinned

Link and Sheik just looked at him with very unimpressed expressions.

"What?" Shylock asked defensively

"You stole their horses?" Auru demanded as he rode up next to them.

"Excuse me?" Shylock exclaimed sounding very insulted. "I did nothing of the sort!"

"Well that's what they're saying." Link said jerking a thumb behind him to the rapidly approaching Koni.

"Well then they are mistaken." Shylock huffed. "Stealing is bad." He said crossing his arms. "I traded for this horse."

"Really?" Link asked not seeming very convinced.

"What did you trade for it?" Sheik asked also not sounding convinced.

Shylock coughed uncomfortably. "Well actually I more borrowed it." He said looking away.

"Seriously?" Sheik deadpanned.

"Yeah..." Shylock mumbled.

"Did you have any inclination of giving it back at some point?" Link sighed.

"Yeah! Well, eventually." He responded looking at the ground

"Did they know that you had 'borrowed' it?" Auru inquired further

"Umm, yeah, I mean someone probably did." He said his voice getting progressively quieter.

"So you did steal it." Shad said bluntly.

"No! Stealing is wrong! I would never do that!" Shylock insisted and Link got the impression that if he wasn't on a horse he would have stamped his foot, either way he crossed his arms and pointedly looked away to show that he was insulted.

"We've got incoming." Auru announced as Ashei and Hugh arrived closely followed by the Koni.

The Koni spread out and circled them, a few with bows drawn.

"Give us the red-haired one and we'll leave you alone." One of them called out.

"No don't give them the red-haired one!" Shylock called back before quickly positioning himself behind Link to which Link just rolled his eyes.

"Look we don't want any trouble." Auru responded with a gesture at their group.

"You should have thought of that before you stole from and attacked us." The Koni countered

"Didn't steal anything!" Shylock broke in again.

"Shylock would you please be quiet." Auru hissed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Shylock sullenly shrunk into himself but was still muttering about not actually stealing.

"You attacked us first." Auru retorted. "We were simply defending ourselves, and as for the stealing, there seems to be some disagreements as to what actually happened." The Koni looked like he was going to break in but Auru raised a hand to silence him. "That is why I would like to respectfully request to meet with the one in charge so these matters can be resolved peacefully."

The Koni sighed defeated. "What you say is fine." He said. "But we take the horse." He then indicated for some of the others to take the horse.

"Wha- hey!" Shylock protested.

"You'll ride with me." Auru said leaving little room for argument.

The Koni were all very quiet as they escorted them back to the group of wagons and tents. The people at the camp as seemed quite friendly a strong contrast from the ones who attacked them; many even waved at them as they passed. A few of the children ran after them laughing and weaving In between the horses clearly not afraid of getting hurt.

Link took the time to observe the people as they passed. They didn't seem to have a distinct hair color like the Gerudo, though he did notice that there were a good number of people with dark brown almost black hair. They all seemed quite tanned, though that was to be expected seeing as they were outdoors a great deal. What stood out the most was that there were horses just wandering around amongst the people, they weren't tied up or even saddled but they seemed very content to stay with the Koni.

"Wait here, I'll go get my father." The man who had spoken to them before said as he got down from his horse and went into one of the tents.

A second later the man returned with what Link assumed what his father.

"So... You're the troublemakers. Took longer to bring you in than I thought it would." He said his voice gruff but not unkind. He appeared to be in his mid to late fifties, his long braided hair a dark brown with a tinge of red as well as gray. He stood tall, taller than Link and almost equal to Hugh but he was neither muscular or skinny. His face was solemn and stoic but he had smile wrinkles at the edges of his brown eyes.

"They put up a fight." The son said calmly as an explanation. Now that Link knew they were related he could definitely pick out the similarities, the hair color was almost the same but without the gray. His face was very impassive but held a steady self-assurance.

"Still took longer than I was expecting." The father said, though he didn't seem upset, just was stating a fact. "We don't need them all here, go take the woman and get her injury bandaged." He instructed

Hugh looked over at Ashei with a shocked expression. "Oh my gosh, I didn't even realize! I'm so sorry are you alright!?" he asked worriedly

"Yeah I'm fine, I barely noticed myself." Ashei answered glancing down at her arm where a medium sized gash was visible. "I must've got hit by one of the arrows." She shrugged.

"I'll go with her, if that's ok with you?" Hugh asked the father.

"That's fine, make sure she's well cared for." He answered dismissively.

"Thank you." Hugh nodded and followed Ashei

"Now, why don't we go inside and see if we can't sort out this misunderstanding." He said "Oh, but not him." He said as an afterthought, pointing a finger at Shylock, then he turned and reentered one of the tents.

Link, Shad, sheik, and Auru filed in after him, ignoring the weak protests of Shylock. As they entered they quickly found that the tent was quite spacious on the inside.

"Have a seat and tell me each of your names." The man said gesturing to the blankets around a small fireplace in the middle of the tent.

Auru cleared his throat and went first. "My name is Auru, and I want to assure you tha-" he started

"We'll get to that in a moment." The father said cutting him off. "Right now I simply want to learn your names."

"Shad." Shad said breaking the silence that had followed his statement.

The man nodded and turned his attention to Link.

"My name is Link and this is Sheik." Link said answering for both of them in case Zelda didn't want her identity revealed.

"The boy cannot speak for himself?" He asked calmly

"Sheik doesn't talk very much." Shad answered quietly.

"Fair enough, well it's only cordial for me to introduce myself as well." He said with a small smile. "Chief Aatos at your service."

Link looked around but was surprised to find that the younger man had not followed them into the tent.

"If you're looking for my son, he has other things to do, and I didn't feel that you would be much of a threat to me. After all, you attacked out of self-defence didn't you?" He phrased it as a question but said it such a way that he clearly knew the answer.

"Yes how did-" Auru started.

"And let me guess, you also had no knowledge of Shylock's 'trade' agreement before coming here?" Aatos continued as he pulled a small pot off the fire and poured the contents into a small mug. He glanced up at their confused faces and smiled slightly. "I could hear you talking about it since you entered our camp, it's not very difficult to put the pieces together." He said in explanation.

"So... You're not mad?" Shad asked cautiously

Aatos raised an eyebrow. "I guess it depends on how you react to my proposition."

"And what is your proposition?" Auru asked

He smirked and took a drink from his mug. "I don't know if you're aware, but the horse Shylock... 'borrowed' happens to be our very best breeding horse. It's priceless in value, and I'm sure that someone made the mistake of telling the king that, which is probably why he chose to take it."

"I have a theory that Shylock is a bit of a kleptomaniac, so it may not have even mattered if someone told him of its value or not." Shad said speaking up.

"A kleptomaniac? Sorry young man, I don't believe I've heard that term before." Aatos admitted.

"Oh, it's a person with the inability to refrain from the urge to steal items. It doesn't seem to matter if the person needs it for money or even because they really want it, they just end up taking things." Shad explained

"Hmm, an interesting idea but regardless of his reason, he did take the horse which leads me to my proposition." He said looking up at them seriously. "If you are willing to return the horse to us - and make no other attempts to steal it or anything else from us, I would be willing to let the matter drop." Aatos said

"That seems incredibly reasonable, we would happily accept your offer." Auru answered.

"Shylock may not agree." Link muttered warningly under his breath

"He's caused us enough trouble that he doesn't get a say, I'll watch him myself if I have to." Auru whispered back.

Link shrugged and let the matter drop.

"Glad to hear that we could come to an agreement. Now why have you strangers come to so much trouble to seek us out? There must be something that you wished to speak to us about." The chief inquired.

"Yes actually, Shylock told us you know about some powerful stones called 'relics'." Link said.

"Relics eh?" Aatos responded with a raised eyebrow

"Yes he said that the Koni are the ones who made them in the first place." Shad added

"The king certainly has interesting ideas." Aatos answered levelly. "Say this were true, what do you want with them?" He inquired, resting his head on the tips of his fingers in a quizzical manner.

"We don't want them, per say, we just want to keep them out of the hands of a crazy arcanist." Shad sighed.

"Are you familiar with the name Arnold?" Auru asked

"I've heard rumblings, nothing solid though." Aatos admitted.

"Well, he's been trying to collect the relics to use their power, and he's been destroying anything that gets in his way. This is why we've come to you, we want to get to the final relic before he does." Auru explained.

Aatos was silent for a moment before replying. "Yes the Koni are responsible for creating the relics, it was many generations before my time however so our knowledge is somewhat limited. But, if you are able to identify the relics this arcanist already has, then I should be able to tell you where the last one is." Aatos nodded smiling slightly.

"I guess we shouldn't have let Hugh leave then, seeing as he's the only one who would be able to identify them." Link smirked.

"Hugh, is that the one who left with your lady friend?" Aatos asked.

"Yes, should I go get him?" Link offered.

"No that's not necessary." Aatos said the looked towards the tent opening. "Gunnar!" He barked, when a man entered he continued. "Gunnar would you be willing to go and collect the stranger that accompanied these people? He should be in the medical tent. Also would you bring me the book of relics?"

"Of course chief, is there anything else?" Gunnar asked bowing slightly

"Yes actually would you get Rajneesh to check on Ava and Pippin? I haven't heard for them in a while and I'm slightly worried." Aatos added

"Will do." Gunnar nodded and stepped back out of the tent.

"My two youngest, they have a tendency to get into trouble when they're left alone for long periods of time." Aatos said with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm just saying, it seems like all we've been doing lately is having dinner with important people and sparing, at least this is a bit of a change of pace." Hugh said as he watched Ashei get treated by the Koni healer.

"I guess, but you're forgetting having those super boring meetings." Ashei agreed then winced slightly when the Koni woman pulled the bandage tight.

"So do you think that we're going to have to stay overnight here?" She asked turning back to Hugh

"Don't know, I guess it depends on whether or not Auru can work out an agreement." He shrugged. "Would you rather stay or leave?" He asked.

"I don't know, like you said it's a bit of a change of pace, and the people seem pretty nice here." She said looking around.

"You mean aside from the ones who attacked us." Hugh pointed out.

"Yes aside from them." She snorted. "I still can't believe Shylock got us into this mess." She chuckled and shook her head.

"Yeah, but now we know what Zera was talking about when she said that there was a price on his head." Hugh laughed too.

"True." Ashei smirked.

"Excuse me," Gunnar said as he came into tent. "Are you Hugh?"

"That's me, what can I do for ya?" Hugh answered getting to his feet

"Chief Aatos wants you to come join them." He responded. "If you would accompany me back."

"Sure." Hugh shrugged and started towards the man.

"I might as well come too, I'm all bandaged up so there's no point sticking around." Ashei said also getting to her feet.

"So how many children do you have if you don't mind me asking?" Shad said trying to find a topic to fill the silence.

"I have five children, my eldest you already met, we named him Mahlon in honor of our great ancestor. She was a great warrior who founded the Koni tribe." Aatos said proudly.

Sheik guffawed but then quickly covered it with a cough. Then noticing that Aatos was looking at her strange motioned for him to continue.

"My next oldest is Kira, she's out on a hunting trip but should be back later this afternoon. Ava and Pippin were born next, they just turned six and seven respectively. And we were blessed with our youngest just last month, and we decided on the name Jani." Aatos said fondly thinking about his children.

"That's so nice that you have a large family, I bet you're a great dad." Link responded happily.

"Flattery will get you nowhere but I appreciate the kind words." Aatos smirked.

"Chief?" Gunnar broke in as he stepped into the tent. "I've brought Hugh and the book." He said walking over and handing the book to Aatos.

"I'm here too you know." Ashei huffed as she and Hugh followed him into the tent.

"Of course ma'am I apologize." Gunnar said bowing slightly.

"Thank you Gunnar, that will be all." Aatos dismissed him

"So... What did you need me for?" Hugh asked uneasily

"Have a seat, your friends tell me you would be able to identify what relics a man by the name of Arnold is in possession of." Aatos answered

"I might, I don't really know how to describe them though." Hugh said apologetically

"That's fine." Aatos shrugged and began flipping through the book he had on his lap. After a second or so he turned it over and held it so Hugh could see the five pictures shown on it. "Can you tell based off these depictions?"

The relics were all very diverse in both coloring and shape. The first appeared to be made of a mix of yellow and purple glass with small pockets of energy pulsing through in small contained bubbles. The second was almost a teardrop shape but had hundreds of shards poking out in each direction. The shards seemed to be reflective giving an almost rainbow-like coloring. The third was a pyramid shape with an orange base and intermixed red, dark blue, and teal on the sides. The fourth relic was a simple oval shape with a brown covering that had cracks running across its surface with bright green and yellow showing through. The last one was a remarkably simple flat square with what looked like deep blue ocean waves flowing across it.

Hugh leaned forward to get a closer look. "Yeah actually," he said sounding surprised. "The only one that I didn't see was this one." He said pointing to the brown oval relic.

"Ah, that makes sense, the arcanist would have difficulty going there." Aatos nodded.

"Where?" Ashei asked

"The Kokiri forest." Aatos said leaning back. "The Great Deku Tree would no doubt make it difficult for someone with evil intent into the forest."

Link frowned at the name, feeling an unusual familiarity at the mention.

"Who's the Great Deku Tree?" Ashei asked in a suspicious tone.

"The guardian of the forest and the ones who live in them." Aatos responded.

"Those who live in them? You mean to say that the tales of the Kokiri are true?" Shad asked in surprise.

"Yes, very true." Aatos chuckled. "I'm sure they would be very pleased to have some visitors. Provided of course that you are planning on traveling there next."

Link looked to Zelda for her direction to which she nodded affirmatively.

"It looks like it." Link answered on behalf of the group.

Aatos nodded and got to his feet.

"Well I guess we should go let your red-haired friend know then, provided of course he hasn't escaped his guards." He joked

"Has he done that before?" Hugh asked

"Oh yes, how do you think he got away with our horse?" Aatos chuckled.

Link squinted to shield his eyes from the mid-morning sun as they exited the tent.

"I'm just saying I know you're nomads and stuff, but would it kill you to own something valuable?" Shylock was saying, he sat on a rock surrounded by three Koni but he acted like he owned the place with his legs sprawled out in front of him and noisily eating an apple.

"So you would have something to steal?" One of the guards responded sounding very bored.

"Trade." Shylock emphasized, pointed his apple core at the guard. "There is a difference." He said then threw his core to one of the passing horses, which ate it happily.

"I think I get why you keep these things around now." Shylock said gesturing to the horse. "They make great cleaners, I bet they'd eat almost anything." The guard just rolled his eyes.

"He wasn't too much trouble I hope." Aatos said as they came over.

"A mild irritation at best." The Koni answered with a wry smile

"Well it's about time!" Shylock exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how bored I was? You guys were in there forever!" He whined.

"Relax, we're leaving soon anyway." Ashei said crossed her arms.

"Oh? Where to?" Shylock asked curiously.

"The Kokiri forest." Link smirked.

"Really? Cool! Well if I can just get my horse then we can be on our way!" Shylock said jumping to his feet.

"Uh no." Auru said. "You're not keeping that horse, we're returning it to the Koni and in exchange they agreed to let the matter drop."

"Spoilsport." Shylock muttered. "Fine, but how am I going to get around?"

"Well if you are willing to purchase a horse we have some available." Aatos offered

"How much for the one I had?" Shylock asked

"You couldn't afford it." Aatos said flatly

"Debatable." Shylock smirked

"What he means is he would be happy to buy a horse of your choosing." Auru said gruffly shooting an irritated look at Shylock. Shylock pretended not to notice and whistled innocently to himself.

"Well if you'll follow me then we'll get you set up so you can be on your way. Don't want to keep Arnold waiting do we?" Aatos winked

They ended up following Aatos out to a large fenced area away from the tents.

"Do you have to build these fences every time you move?" Hugh asked

"They're collapsible, we bring them with us then just set them back up when we arrive." Aatos explained.

"Why are these horses fenced off from the rest?" Ashei asked a couple seconds later.

"These horses are bred to be sold, we need to make sure they stay pure." A woman answered before Aatos could speak. The woman was tall in stature with knee-length dark brown hair and she had a small baby wrapped against her chest.

"That and we don't want the children to become too attached." Aatos added with a smile. "Gentlemen, and Miss Ashei, I would like to introduce you to my wife Emryn, she'll be the one selecting your horse."

Everyone nodded and murmured a greeting.

"A pleasure to meet all of you."Emryn said bowing. "Now which one of you is looking to purchase the horse?"

Shylock stepped forward. "That's me!" He smiled happily.

Ren chuckled and glanced at her husband.

"Yes I know it's been sorted out, and these people have been kind enough to return the Arabian to us... Which is why they now need a new horse." Aatos responded to the unasked question.

"Fair enough."Emryn shrugged. "Why don't you follow me into the pen and we'll see which horse takes to you." She smiled and walked over to the fence.

"Uh, shouldn't I be the one choosing the horse... Not the other way around?" Shylock asked uncertainly as he followed her.

"Not if you want one well suited to you." Emryn answered over her shoulder. She reached the fence gate and pulled it open.

"Go ahead in." She commanded.

"What am I supposed to do?" Shylock huffed as Emryn closed the gate behind him. "Just wait for a horse to come over and say it likes me?"

"You'll be able to tell, now go over and say hi. I'm sure the rest will come, they're quite curious."Emryn smiled then walked back over to the group.

"How's Jani been today?" Aatos asked gentle patting the baby's head.

"Pretty good, I think he's getting used to the idea of joining while I'm working." Emryn responded

"Well he'd have to seeing as you refused to take another week off." Aatos raised his eyebrow.

"I told you I'm fine, this is my fifth child after all." She assured him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"I know you are, doesn't stop me from worrying though." Aatos smiled

"Oh! I've been meaning to ask, which one of you owns the Clydesdale?" Emryn said suddenly

"Epona belongs to me." Link said with a proud smile.

"She's lovely, how did you come by her?" Emryn asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure where she came from actually, I just found her in the woods one day then she refused to leave my side." Link said with a shrug.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Their conversation was suddenly cut off by a scream from Shylock. They all turned to see the Gerudo king running for his life from an ebony stallion.

"Oh." Emryn said calmly. "It looks like he's found his horse."

"Wow, nice choice. I'm surprised the stallion took to him so quickly." Aatos added.

"Uh... Shouldn't we help him?" Link asked.

"YES! YOU SHOULD HELP HIM!" Shylock yelled as he rushed past again.

"No, he's fine." Emryn said. "Do you think he'll want a saddle?"

"Well he didn't use one earlier." Shad put in.

"So just the reins then." Emryn nodded. "Here, I'm going to need both my hands." She said taking Jani out of the sling and handing him to Aatos.

Aatos took him without comment and held open the gate for his wife.

"Are you sure this horse is the right one for Shylock?" Auru asked. "I mean we're going to be traveling quite a lot, I'd rather not listen to him complain the whole way."

"Don't worry, they'll end up good friends after they sort out their differences." Aatos responded as he gentle bounced Jani.

Auru looked doubtfully at Shylock who currently appeared to be having a heated argument with the horse. "...If you say so." He shrugged.

Jani who up until now was very quiet suddenly started fussing and wiggling around his big blue eyes focused on Sheik.

"I think he likes you." Aatos commented as Jani reached his tiny hands towards Sheik.

Sheiks eyes widened slightly in surprise and stayed rooted to the spot. Aatos chuckled and moved closer.

"He won't settle until he gets a closer look at you." He said. "Here." Aatos held Jani out to Sheik. Tentatively Sheik took hold of the baby much to the delight of Jani.

Link smirked as he watched the tiny baby grab hold of Sheik's bandaged fingers cooing happily then started laughing as Jani abruptly yanked on Sheik's cowl causing him to get very flustered and quickly move it back into place. This quickly became a game as Jani kept trying to expose Sheik's face while Sheik tried to keep this from happening.

"You're absolutely crazy if you think I'm keeping that horse." Shylock said as he stormed up to the gate.

"What? He likes you." Emryn shrugged as she led the stallion behind her.

"He ate my hair!" Shylock fumed holding up a piece of red hair for her to see.

"He's bonding." Emryn smirked

"Well make him stop!" Shylock demanded crossing his arms angrily.

"You might as well get used to it because it seems like you're stuck with him." Shad said grinning.

Shylock glared at him. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Shad made a 'little bit' gesture and grinned wider.

"I hate all of you." He grumbled as he snatched the reigns away from Emryn and mounted the stallion.

"Hey, I don't like this any more than you do so quiet down!" Shylock snapped as the stallion started stomping around trying to get Shylock off his back.

"Have you decided on a name?" Link asked

"Do you have a suggestion?" Shylock asked sourly

"What about Arnost? It means determined or stubborn depending on how you take it." Shad suggested.

Shylock considered it for a moment then shrugged. "Why not, it's probably better than anything I could come up with."

"Well if that's all settled?" Aatos broke in. "Perhaps we should send you on your way; if you make good time you may get to the edge of the grasslands by evening."

"That's a good point." Auru agreed. "Thank you very much for all your assistance."

"Our pleasure, I hope you'll be able to retrieve the relics safely." Aatos responded.

"And when we do you can be sure we'll bring them back to where they belong." Auru promised.


	17. King

With Hugh now assigned on keep Ashei entertained duty, and Shylock and Arnost having come to an agreement of sorts the afternoon ride was rather quiet. It was due to this that a bellow of a horn near the evening caught them all off guard. Looking around Link was surprised to see Thane riding towards them with a few other men and bulblins following close behind.

"Hey, you're still alive? I'm surprised you haven't been eaten or something." He greeted with a sarcastic smile.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Sunshine, what are you doing out here?" Ashei retorted also grinning.

"Hunting." He said shortly. "Ciel's going to want to know you're here."

"Are you guys camped around here?" Hugh asked surprised.

"Our base is around here. You didn't know that?" Thane smirked condescending.

"It's not exactly a major tourist attraction in these parts, so no we weren't aware." Ashei snarked

Thane just shrugged and turned his horse.

"You guys going to follow or what?" He asked

Link looked at the rest and shrugged. "Need to camp somewhere so we might as well."

"Lead the way." Hugh responded. "As long as you're sure Ciel won't mind."

"Guess we'll find out soon enough won't we." Thane said then turned to the men and Bulblins and barked some orders before leading them toward what they assumed would be the base.

"Is it just me or does he seem to be in a better mood than last time we were here?" Shad asked after Thane was out of range.

"Maybe he's only happy when he can boss people around." Hugh suggested.

"That could be it." Shad agreed as they watched Thane yelling at the bulblins for getting out of order.

After a few minutes of riding they came to the top of a ravine. For its size it was surprisingly well hidden. Thane guided them down using rock ledges just large enough for their horses with a few inches on each side. Once they reached the bottom Link was greeted with an astonishing sight, the ravine floor was covered with groups of tents and fire pits. There were people milling about everywhere, and even more numerous was the bulblins which seemed to be streaming in from previously unnoticed caves. The whole thing was incredible by the numbers alone but even more interesting was how well organized everything was, no one was sitting around without a job and no segregation, the bulblins and humans melded together flawlessly and were clearly seeing good results from it.

"Impressed?" Thane smirked at their faces.

"It's incredible!" Shad said after he found his voice. "How did you manage it?"

"Yeah well, I really can credit for any of it, it's all Ciel and King." Thane responded rubbing the back of his neck.

"King?" Link asked.

"Our general... Oh that's right you haven't met him yet." Thane chuckled. "Well this should be fun." He said to himself then urged his horse forward again.

"Should we be worried?" Shad asked.

"Probably." Ashei shrugged

"Well that's reassuring." He muttered.

After dropping off their horses with a few bulblins they continued following Thane through the base until they came to a shallow yet tall cave, the cave was well lit now that torches had been added with the setting sun. The cave was mostly filled with crates but it also held a table with maps laid out on top of it. Ciel was currently crouched over the table and was writing something on one of the maps, he didn't notice their presence until Thane cleared his throat pointedly.

"Yes, Thane what is it?" Ciel asked his head still bent over the paper.

"I've brought some guests." Thane responded with a small smirk even though Ciel couldn't see it.

"Guests? What are you talking abou-" Ciel started in confusion as he finally looked up from the table.

A few of them waved while the others just smiled at the younger brother's surprised face.

"Wha-" Ciel coughed and quickly composed himself. "Well this was definitely unexpected."

"Sorry to drop by uninvited," Hugh spoke up. "We met Thane on the plain and he said you wouldn't mind if we camped here for the night."

Ciel glanced at Thane but Thane currently wasn't looking his direction.

"Of course, I'm sure we can find some place for your group." Ciel responded as he began sorting the papers he was working on into piles. "But what are you doing this far north? My sources tell me that Arnold is miles from here."

"We were actually going to the kokiri forest." Ashei put in.

"They have the last relic that can help us stop Arnold so we need to go there first." Hugh continued.

Ciel paused for a second before responding. "Ok I'll pretend that makes sense-"

"Human! I need to speak with you." A voice bellowed from a nearby cave cutting Ciel off.

Ciel groaned. "King we talked about this! When you call everybody 'human' we don't know who you're talking to." He yelled back.

"I can't be bothered to learn all your silly human names." The voice responded. Seconds later King Bulblin walked into the cave causing more than a little panicking, namely from Shad and Shylock.

"Everyone meet my general, King Bulblin." Ciel sighed. "Now King what is it? Has a fight broken out?"

"Nothing so trivial." King said gruffly. "Give me the new cargo routes I was told you were finished them."

"Ok ok relax, I'll get them." Ciel shook his head and started flipping through the papers again.

It was at this point that King Bulblin chose to finally notice them.

"More humans?" He leaned down to look more closely. His eyes narrowed and he smiled showing all his crooked teeth. "I know you. You're the human in green I fought with before."

"Hello." Link said tightly

"You know each other?" Ciel asked surprised.

"We've met." Link responded.

"I was told to take humans, he fought me to take them back. His strength was beyond that of normal humans, so I left my former master to follow the stronger side." King summarize with the same ugly grin.

"Stronger side huh?" Ciel repeated his voice dangerously low. "And of the two of us, which is stronger? Which side holds your true loyalty?" He asked his eyes glinting.

"The green one, until proven otherwise." King responded gruffly.

"I see." Ciel said then slowly unsheathed his sword. "I guess we'll need to change that, won't we?" He asked no one in particular, his mouth curving into a frightening smile.

"Ciel?" Hugh said in surprise.

"Link, I believe our dual is overdue." He said ignoring his brother.

Link looked at him in surprise but brought out his sword in order to be prepared.

In a flash Ciel had locked swords with him, his face inches from Link's.

"Ciel what are you doing!?" Hugh yelled

"Play along." Ciel whispered, just loud enough for Link to hear. "I need his trust."

Link nodded so slightly that it would have been unnoticeable to anyone besides Ciel.

Jumping back Link swung and brought his shield up in front of him as Ciel swung again.

"You can't play defensive forever." Ciel said louder this time. "For a hero your skills disappoint."

Link smirked dangerously. "You should be more careful." He responded. "Defensive can easily turn into offensive."

Jerking his shield up Link performed the second Hidden Skill as Ciel attacked again. Temporary dazed Link attacked with a horizontal slash with Ciel catching it milliseconds before it hit him. Swiping his foot under Link's Ciel backed away while Link jumped back to his feet. Unhooking his hookshot Ciel shot it at Link. Jumping out of the way Link didn't notice the chain turning and wrapping around his waist.

"You didn't see that coming?" Ciel asked smugly

Link didn't bother to respond as he tried to unhook the hookshot only to find that it had interlocked the chains within itself making it close to impossible to unattached quickly. Ciel took advantage of this to send a wave of attacks which Link parried as best he could given the circumstances but was soon forced to jump back to avoid a vertical slash. Evidently, however, this is what Ciel was waiting for as while Link was in the air he jerked the hookshot sending Link to the ground. Before Ciel could pin him down Link kicked upwards into Ciel's stomach giving him enough time to remove the hookshot chain. Dodging Link avoided Ciel's sword flying through the air above his head then counter attacked with a diagonal slash.

They both zipped around each other attacking and blocking for a good minute without any headway until Link misplaced his step letting Ciel's sword hit its mark on his lower thigh. Link winced but continued to block until Ciel hit his sword arm making him drop his sword. Ciel swiped under Link's feet once again sending him to the ground with Ciel's sword at his neck.

"I've seen enough." King nodded. "Ciel my loyalty lies with you now." He said then lumbered away.

Ciel's eyes followed after him until he was sure he was gone then bent over with his hand out to Link. Link accepted and was pulled to his feet.

"Thanks man, honestly though I wasn't expecting you to actually take a hit." Ciel smirked handing him a red potion.

"Thought it would add to the believable factor." Link responded with a smile before gulping down some of the potion.

"What in the name of the three goddesses just happened!?" Ashei demanded.

They both blinked in surprise at the outburst. "Oh, Ciel needed King's loyalty so we fake fought with him winning." Link explained with a shrug.

"Looked pretty real to me." Hugh added.

"Well that's good." Ciel said. "If it was real though Link would have won."

"I don't know, that hookshot move was pretty tricky, how did you manage that by the way?" Link asked.

"You have to get the hookshot upgraded first, actually if you want I can fix yours up before you go." Ciel offered.

"Seriously? That be great thanks!" Link nodded happily.

"Link! Scary lady! Ciel's big brother! Glasses guy! Sheikah guy! Old guy who used to be a general! You guys are all here!" Krem yelled as he rushed over tackling Link.

"Um hi?" Link greeted as Krem clung to him.

Ciel rolled his eyes and pulled Krem off by the back of his collar.

"Krem what are you doing here?" He asked as Krem struggled to escape.

"I heard that they were here so I came to see them!" He said with a grin. "But then I saw you guys fighting! It was so cool! Of course I knew it was fake but it was still awesome!" He rambled excitedly

"Krem keep that quiet I don't want King to know." Ciel hissed

"Yeah yeah." Krem rolled his eyes waving him off.

"Here Thane take Krem and find something useful to do, I'll get them settled." Ciel said holding Krem out to Thane by his collar.

"Awwwww but I want to stay with them!" Krem whined

"Come on squirt we've got our orders quit stalling." Thane called as he started walking away.

"Ugh fine," Krem relented. "I'll talk to you guys later!" He called as he ran after Thane.

"They have way too much energy." Ciel muttered. "Anyway, you guys can camp in the lower western camp there should be room there."

"Thanks again letting us stay." Hugh said after a moment.

"It's no trouble, we've certainly got the room." Ciel shrugged.

"It is really impressive." Hugh responded looking around at the camp appreciatively

"Thank you, it perhaps not as comfortable as the village but I'm happy with it." Ciel answered with a small smile.

"So, what do you guys even do? Are you guys bandits or what?" Ashei asked

"They were before I got here." He answered. "now I've got them into trading."

"And they just went for that?" Shad asked.

"Took some convincing but they aren't bad guys. They stole at first because they needed food, then they stole because they that's all they had ever done. They just needed a purpose so once I gave them a new one they were pretty ok with switching over."

"So, who do you trade with?" Auru asked.

"Me!" Shylock piped up excitedly.

"Yeah mostly the Gerudo at the moment but we're looking to expand." Ciel continued. "Anyway here we are." He said coming to a stop in front of a group of tents. "If you need anything my tent is there, Krem's is there and Thane's is there," He said gesturing to the separate tents as he led them through. "Fair warning though Thane is less than friendly when woken up and Krem is almost impossible to put back to sleep if woken up so your choice who you want to deal with."

"What about if we come and bug you?" Ashei asked raising an eyebrow

Ciel chuckled. "If you can succeed in waking me up you will both earn my respect and I will help you with anything you need."

"He sleeps like a rock, nothing short of an earthquake or a bucket of water can wake him up." Hugh added

"Oh? And who gets the privilege of waking you up every morning?" Link asked

"Thane." Ciel groaned. "He is a ridiculous morning person and it irritates him to no end when people sleep in."

"And by sleeping in he means waking up after 6:00." Krem added popping into the conversation suddenly.

"Krem! I told you to go with Thane!" Ciel said irritatedly

"And go and do something useful." Krem finished. "Which I did! I made up the tents for them, annnnnd I got supper started so there!" He said triumphantly.

Ciel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine whatever, clearly you're going to do whatever you want anyway so just try not to cause too much trouble."

"Yes sir!" Krem saluted teasingly. "Come on! Your tents are this way!" He said leading the way. "Oh by the way, anything interesting happen to you since we left?" Krem asked.

"We met the Koni." Hugh supplied.

"Yeah and they stole my horse!" Shylock added irritatedly.

"Shylock we've been over this, if you stole the horse first then they're not stealing it when they take if back." Auru huffed.

"Borrowed." Shylock corrected.

"Whatever I give up." Auru said throwing his hands in the air.

"But how did you get here if your horse was ... Um taken?" Krem asked diplomatically

"He bought a new one while we were there." Link answered.

"Ah, and? Anything else?" Krem asked curiously

Link shrugged. "Got the info we needed then we head out." He summarized.

"Yeah I already know about relics." Krem waved him off. "I'm more interested in Hugh and Ashei."

"What about them?" Ciel asked confused.

"... Seriously?" Krem asked in disbelief.

"We're together now." Hugh informed him proudly.

"You weren't before?" Ciel responded surprised

"...no." Hugh mumbled.

"Oh, well congrats then." Ciel chuckled. "Hugh- I applaud your choice, and Ashei I questions yours but I hope you'll both be very happy together."

"Hardy har har." Hugh joked punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"Supper is ready!" Krem called to them from one of the nearby fires.

"When did he get over there?" Ashei asked.

"He left while you guys were talking, he does that when he gets bored." Thane answered as he suddenly appeared.

"And when did you get here?" She added

"A little while ago," he shrugged. "I was looking for Krem but now I'm on break."

"So is taking care of Krem like your job or something?" Ashei teased.

"Yes." Thane answered in all seriousness. "And I don't get paid enough for it."

"In other news, most of the group has left already." Hugh interrupted.

Ashei looked around and the only ones left were herself, Hugh and Thane, the rest had gone and joined Krem at the fire and a few were already eating.

"Well that's kinda rude." Ashei commented. "Better hurry up if we want to get any food."

Krem was enthusiastically asking questions about Link's never-ending pocket when they sat down and it appeared that Link had given up on answering and had handed him the pouch to investigate for himself. This had started out alright but Krem had quickly lost interest in simply peering into the pouch and began pulling items out of said pouch. This then lead to another barrage of questions involving each of the items to the point where Link had given his food away and was now trying to satisfy Krem's endless curiously.

"And what about this one?" Krem inquired happily as he pulled out Link's boomerang. "When did you get this one?"

"That one I got from my first dungeon actually, the monkey I was fighting dropped it after I defeated it." Link recounted

Krem gave him a strange look at the mention of fighting a monkey but didn't comment. He inspected the boomerang more closely and looked back up a Link with wide eyes.

"Is this the Gale boomerang? The one that houses the mystical Fairy of Winds!?" Krem demanded his voice full of awe.

"How do you-" Link started to asked.

"Don't ask silly questions." Krem cut him off. "Is it?"

"Yeah it is." Link admitted rolling his eyes at Krem's mannerisms.

"You are seriously awesome." Krem beamed as he gently placed to boomerang of the growing pile of items at his side.

"What the- ok this thing seriously defies every law of the universe." Krem grunted as he pulled out Link's steel ball. "I mean come on you carry this around on your belt?! It's bigger than the pouch!" Krem exclaimed.

"Hey don't ask me I just use it." Link smirked.

"Oooh whatcha guys doing?" Shylock asked eagerly as he sat down next to Krem's pile of disregarded items.

"Going through my stuff." Link answered somewhat pointedly looking a Krem.

"If you didn't want me to go through it then why would you give me the pouch?" Krem responded unconcerned.

"What's this?" Shylock asked sticking his hand into the pouch.

"Hey I was investigating that!" Krem said indignantly

"Well I'm curious too and it's not like you can stop me." He taunted while sticking his tongue out. Krem stuck his tongue out back but Shylock was ignoring him as he pulled out Link's ice arrows.

"My goodness! This is so cold why on earth do you have something like this? Arrows by themselves aren't deadly enough?" Shylock grimaced holding the arrow like he would a snake.

"I think it's cool." Krem piped up.

"Cold is the proper term." Shylock retorted with the same unimpressed tone.

Krem rolled his eyes and went back to rummaging through the pouch.

"Hey why didn't you use those while we were fighting the dragon?" Hugh asked

"I had just got them and I didn't want to risk using new items before I had had a chance to practice with them first." Link sighed. "Wish I had now but there's not much I can do about it."

"So why haven't you tried practicing with them?" Ashei asked.

"Never seem to think of it when we have the time." Link admitted

"You have the time now." She pointed out.

Link glanced over at Shylock and Krem before shrugging. "I guess I don't have anything better to do." He admitted

"I can take you over to the shooting range." Ciel offered as he finished eating.

"Thanks." Link smiled as he got to his feet

"Here you're going to need this." Krem said handing him his bow.

"Why don't you practice with all the rest of the stuff you got? I'd rather not get pummelled because you can't use your items." Ashei added.

Link rolled his eyes but did collect his new shield, diggers, and arrows.

"Bring your hookshot as well, I'll upgrade it while your practicing." Ciel added.

Wordlessly Shylock handed Link the hookshot as he continued to rummage around through his items.

"It's not far just up where we came from earlier." Ciel said

A bomb decimated another target into splinters, then ice arrow shot through the air catching the target pieces as they began to fall to the ground. The ice spread collecting the pieces and reattaching them to the tree only to be destroyed once again by another bazooka bomb.

"Nice," Ciel commented from off to the side. "Actually caught the pieces this time."

"Yeah still missed a few though." Link responded kicking the discarded target pieces to join a growing pile.

"Almost finished with the hookshot so you can give that a try if you want a break from the shield." Ciel said as he continued working.

"That might be best, there's not much else I can do with these." He admitted

"Yeah without something to fight back it makes it hard to try out a weapon's full range." Ciel agreed as he got to his feet. "Here, give this a go." He said handing Link the upgraded hookshot.

The hookshot began to float in its usual fashion with a short musical interlude playing the background.

"Thanks." Link said happily after the hookshot had landed back in his hand.

Ciel looked at him weird. "What was that?" He asked

"Don't know. It just always happens when I get an item." Link answered as he looked the hookshot over. "So aim beside the person then twist to make it lock into itself?" He asked

"More or less." Ciel shrugged as he looked around for what Link assumed was the source of the music.

Link moved to stand in front of a scarecrow target. Closing one eye he aimed just above where the target's shoulder would be. Releasing the latch the hookshot flew through the air and past the target; yanking the handle to the left he curved the chain so it began to return towards him then locked into the chain links. As soon it pulled taunt Link found himself being flung forward towards the target. Dropping the hookshot quickly he stumbled to catch his balance.

Ciel laughed. "Oh yeah, guess I should have mentioned that you have to turn the latch again after it locks or else you might end up tangled up with the person your fighting with."

"Thanks for the warning." Link responded wryly

"Also, might not want to aim for the neck unless the person has really irked you." Ciel added

"Why?"

"Well you'll either end up choking them or their head might come off." Ciel answered nonchalantly.

Link looked at him shocked.

"I'm kidding it just chokes them but they might end up passed out if you don't unhook the chain quick enough." Ciel explained.

"Good to know." Link said as he recoiled the chain and stood in front of the target again. Aiming for the waist this time his planted his feet firmly and let the hookshot fly. As soon as it skimmed past the target he yanked it to the side and flipped the latch causing the chain to lock into place but not pull him forward.

"Much better, you'll have to get good at sword fighting while you hold the hookshot though or it's not very useful." Ciel instructed.

Just then a Bulblin came and tapped on Ciel's back.

"Yes?" He acknowledged

The Bulblin gurgled something in its own language and gestured toward Link.

"Ok I'll tell him." Ciel responded. "Link could you come over here for a second?"

Link compiled as he returned his hookshot to his pouch.

"Is something wrong?" Link asked hesitantly

"No, it's just some of the bulblins saw you practicing with your ice arrows and he says they have something for you, a gift if you will." Ciel translated.

"Oh! Thank you." Link said surprised

The Bulblin looked at the ground nervously with its hands behind its back. It grumbled something unintelligible before pulling out a rusty metal box and shoving it in Link's hands then rushing back behind Ciel.

Link opened the box a found a single arrow inside with a glowing flame surrounding its head. He pulled it out of the box and turned it over in his hands. Once again the item hovered a few seconds accompanied by music before Link could really get a good look at it.

"Thank you." He said genuinely as he admired the gift.

The Bulblin gurgled again shortly before rushing off.

"Got a full set now." Link commented happily as he pulled out his ice arrows and bomb arrows.

"Cool but what happens when the ice arrows come in contact with the fire arrows?" Ciel asked curiously

"Honestly I'm not sure." Link admitted. "What if I shoot the fire while you shoot the ice and we'll find out?"

Ciel agreed and pulled out a bow. Taking aim they shot the arrows at each other high above their heads. The second the arrows came in contact the most peculiar thing happened, they stayed locked together for a few seconds as if they couldn't decide which one was supposed to overpower the other, then quite suddenly the arrows exploded sending ice shards and small tongues of fire flying out rather viciously. Both Link and Ciel quickly brought their arms up to shield their heads and Link regretted leaving his shield by the targets. The whole show was over in a matter of seconds but left the ground around them rather damaged.

"Well..." Ciel said after a moment. "I guess now we know."

"True." Link agreed as he brushed a few ice shards off his shoulder.

"Anyway as fun as this is, I need to go make my rounds so I'll leave you to keep practicing, you know how to get back to the tents right?" Ciel asked

"Yeah, and thanks for the hookshot." Link answered.

"No problem." Ciel said before walking off.

Link was only practising for a few more minutes before he chuckled to himself and turned around.

"You know you can just approach me like a normal person instead of lurking in the shadows." Link said to Sheik

"I wouldn't be much of a Sheikah if I did that." Sheik returned

"I suppose not." Link smiled lightly. He leaned to look at the princess closer. "You look slightly less tired, that's good." He observed.

"I got a bit of sleep on the way here." Sheik explained. "You on the other hand look exhausted, have you been sleeping at all?"

"Not much point, I'll just wake up anyway." Link shook his head.

Sheik hummed unhappily. "Shylock seems tired too." He commented

"Really? He seemed fine to me. Why you think he's having the same nightmares?" Link asked surprised

"I don't know, just stating what I noticed." Sheik shrugged

"Ok well I'll keep an eye out for him." Link said as he took aim again.

"Your aim is off." Zelda commented idly.

Link scoffed. "Is not." He responded just for the sake of getting a reaction

"Is too. Watch." Sheik retorted before flicking the latch sending the hookshot flying before Link could register what was happening. The hookshot lodged itself in the tree behind the dummy and yanked Link towards it. He collided with it but had managed to right himself enough to not be injured.

Sheik chuckled as Link unhooked himself from the tree. Link glared at her half heartedly before just shaking his head and walking back over. A few feet away he shot his hookshot again and hooked it around Zelda's waist, pulling her to him.

"How was my aim that time?" He smirked as he looked down at her.

"Better." Zelda responded blushing slightly.

"You guys are weird." Thane stated as he walked past them to the archery targets.

Link and Zelda immediately jumped away from each other blushing furiously.

"Um, I should probably collect my stuff." Link said as he turned away.

"Oh don't leave on my account." Thane called. "But you might want to keep in mind that you left your weapons with Krem and Shylock, I heard some explosions as I was leaving."

Link and Zelda shared a look before taking off at a run towards the camp. Thankfully Krem and Shylock hadn't managed to do too much damage before they arrived but Link made a mental note to never leave his things unattended again.


	18. The Kokiri Forest

The entrance to the Kokiri forest was a giant fallen tree with its center hollowed out. Shylock mutter a few choice words about it looking a gaping abyss but did follow as they began to walk through it.

Link covered his eyes as they emerged, the sunlit area a sharp change from the tree canopy they had left behind. The village was simplistic with a few houses and a shop with little ponds evenly spread around. The Kokiri caught sight of them almost immediately and began to rush over. Though Link had been told that the Kokiri never grew up it was still a bit of a shock when a group of waist-high children came clamoring up to their group.

A boisterous red-haired boy with a pointy green hat pushed his way to the front.

"Who are you guys!? And how did you get in here?" He demanded pulling himself up to full height, which was still not very tall, and crossed his arms.

"We are a group of adventurers who wish to speak with the great Deku tree." Auru said as he bent down to be at the boy's level much to his indignation.

"Well nobody speaks to the great Deku tree without going through me the great Mido!" The boy apparently named Mido declared.

"Are you willing to take us to him?" Auru asked patiently

"No way! You guys are super suspicious! Appearing out of nowhere and not even telling us who you are!" Mido yelled.

"I suppose it would be better if we introduced ourselves." Auru admitted. "My name is Auru, that's Shad, Shylock, Hugh, Ashei, Sheik, and Link." He introduced

"Link?!" Multiple Kokiri exclaimed at the same time.

The began to push each other to try to get a closer look.

"Is he really back?"

"I don't see Link."

"I thought he wasn't coming back?"

They all talked over each other asking a million questions at once and seemed to be getting more and more upset that they weren't getting answers.

"I'm sorry for the confusion but I don't think that I'm the Link that you're thinking of." Link broke in apologetically.

This immediately quieted them as they stared at him perplexed.

"Well obviously you're not him." Mido put in rolling his eyes, but also sounding slightly disappointed.

"... he looks kinda like the mister that came and got rid of the monsters." A blond-haired girl said after a few seconds.

"Yeah but that mister had a fairy." A red-haired boy pointed out snootily

"Do you have a fairy?" The girl asked Link.

"Um no I don't." He answered.

"We have fairies!" A pair of twin boys chimed in.

"Yeah see?" The girl said as she beckoned her pink fairy from behind her head.

The others did similar things and suddenly the group was aglow with multiple different colored fairies.

"Can't be Kokiri without one." Mido said proudly as he displayed his fairy on his shoulder.

"Then how did that 'mister' have one?" Shylock asked boredly examining his nails.

This gave them all pause. They glanced confusedly between each other.

"Never thought about that." A girl with a headband admitted.

"I think we're getting off topic." Auru said.

"I think the Deku tree won't mind talking to them." One of the Kokiri in the back voiced their opinion.

"Yeah they seem nice!" Another said.

Mido glared at them but ended up huffing and saying. "Ok fine I'll take you to him."

Most of the Kokiri scattered at that point growing bored with staying in one place for a long time but a few hung around their group skipping alongside to keep pace.

"What's that?" The blond-haired girl asked.

"A sword." Ashei answered.

"What's that?"

"A shield."

"Oh, why do you have metal on your arms?"

"It's armour." Ashei answered shortly

The girl paused for a couple seconds.

"Why is your hair black?"

"I don't know I was born with black hair."

"It's pretty!" The Kokiri beamed.

Ashei didn't know how to respond to this but the girl had moved on and was now talking to Shad who immediately started asking her questions as well much to her delight.

"The Deku tree is through here." Mido said walking into a narrow walkway.

Any of the Kokiri that had been following turned and left, evidently not wanting to intrude on their discussion with the Deku tree.

The passage went in a little way before opening into a huge clearing. And in the clearing was the biggest tree Link had ever seen. If he strained his neck he could see the underside of the tree's leaves but couldn't see the top. The tree trunk had two giant eyes carved into its bark as well as what looked like a mouth.

"Great Deku Tree these people want to talk to you." Mido announced

"They do, do they?" The giant tree boomed. It then looked as if it was leaning over slightly to get a closer look. "Don't recognize them, where did they come from?" It asked still addressing Mido.

"They wouldn't tell me, they came through the forest entrance." Mido answered with a sideways glance at the group.

"Very well, you may go now Mido, make sure the triplets aren't getting into too much trouble." The great Deku tree said.

Mido didn't look happy about being sent away but did leave.

"Now I guess some introductions are in order." It said. "Hi! I'm the great Deku Tree, formerly the Deku tree sprout and the Deku tree sapling!"

Auru looked a little surprised by the tree's casual carefree nature but quickly pushed past it and introduced the group as usual.

"Very nice, very nice and what can I do for guys?" It asked after shaking its leaves happily.

"Well we want to discuss the relic that you are in possession of."

The tree shifted uncomfortably. "Relic? Sorry man no idea what you're talking about." The great Deku tree said while somehow giving the impression it was avoiding eye contact

"Uh the Koni said you have it so you can stop messing around." Ashei huffed immediately

The tree leaned to the side a bit in a contemplative manner. "The Koni? Um well let's say there is a relic... just for, you know, interest sake why do you want it?" It said trying to cover its mistake and failing miserably.

"We don't want it." Shad said speaking up. "We want to make sure someone else doesn't get it."

"Oh? Well in that case, sure! What do you want to talk about?"

"We need to determine the best way to protect it, an arcanist is collecting them and people are getting hurt in the process. This last relic may be the best way to stop him." Auru explained.

"M'kay sooo why don't you take care of it? I mean I don't there's a safer place for it than in the protection of the three Triforce holders." The great Deku tree said

"Three?" The group asked in unison

The Deku tree looked at the confused. "Yeah three, courage, wisdom, power? You know? The most powerful item in existence? Lots of stories about it, songs were written, stuff like that?"

"We know what the Triforce is." Link and Sheik both retorted holding their hands in the air the Triforce glowing through their gloves.

"But there's only two of us." Link said

"The Triforce of power is with Ganondorf." Zelda added.

"...Ganondorf is dead, therefore the Triforce of power isn't his anymore, honestly I'm surprised I need to explain this to you." The Deku tree said irritatedly

"Well if Ganondorf doesn't have it who does?" Link asked

Shylock cleared his throat. "Um I might know the answer to that." He said embarrassedly

"You have it!?" Link and Zelda both exclaimed

"Well I do if that's what this weird triangle is on my hand yeah!" Shylock retorted. "And stop yelling I have sensitive ears!" He said indignantly

"Are you kidding me?" Sheik yelled at him, which was quite a surprise for everyone, and stomped over to the king. "Show me." She demanded

"Ok sheesh, I don't see what the big deal is." Shylock rolled his eyes and held up his hand. Sure enough a glowing Triforce with the top triangle filled it shone proudly in the center of the king's hand.

"Why didn't you tell us that before?" Link asked mildly shell-shocked from the discovery

"Didn't think it was important." The king shrugged. "Besides I could ask the same of you two." He shot back

"We assumed you already knew." Ashei said crossing her arms

"Well I did but that's besides the point." Shylock stuck out his tongue.

"Honestly I think you're being rather hard on the lad." A new voice broke into the conversation. "I understand the desire to keep magical powers to oneself."

Everyone wiped around to the entrance of the clearing and standing there was none other than Arnold, who was looking very pleased with himself. While that was worrying enough he was also accompanied by his dragon that was currently completely blocking the exit.

"I've been known to do it myself if you'll recall." Arnold smiled

"Arnold! Hey man long time no see!" Shylock greeted happily waving.

"Shylock! A pleasure as always! How are the girls?" Arnold asked cordially

"They're just fine, a bit irritated at me at the moment though." The king laughed.

"When aren't they though?" The arcanist sighed teasingly.

"I know right?" Shylock shook his head in mock despair. It was at this moment that the king noticed that the rest of the group, Deku tree included, were glaring at him.

"Oooh right, sorry." Shylock apologized rubbing the back of his neck and grinning nervously. "Um Arnold I know that it's been a while since we last hung out but do you mind listening to me this time and maybe not stealing this weird giant tree's-"

"Hey!" The Deku tree said indignantly.

" - relic thing? I mean it would make everyone's lives a lot simpler and you know have less violent and dangerous fighting involved." Shylock asked the arcanist tentatively. Link just rolled his eyes at the attempt of peace as there was no way Arnold would go for that.

"Hmmm Ok." Arnold replied.

"What?" Everyone chorused in astonishment

"I said 'Ok', meaning you can keep the relic." Arnold repeated

"Wow seriously? That's awesome thanks man!" Shylock exclaimed.

"Yeah I mean I figure why bother getting a bunch of old relics that no one really knows the power of when you can get all three pieces of the Triforce which nobody will quit talking about how powerful they are?" Arnold shrugged

"Uh... run that by me again?" Shylock asked

Arnold chuckled and tapped his walking stick against the ground. Link, Zelda, and Shylock all screamed in pain and fell to their knees. The rest of the group started towards them but didn't get more than a step before Arnold tapped the ground again and they froze in place.

"Don't worry the freezing will wear off soon just didn't want any irritating distractions, you know how it is." Arnold said conversationally as he walked over to the three. "Funny thing about the Triforce." He continued as he knelt next to Zelda's shaking form. "It seems to defend its host's mind and body from magical attacks and can take a long time to break down. Now thankful I'm the patient sort so this didn't prove too much of a deterrent but the nature of the attack tends to alert the person that the attack is happening." He laughed. "But none of you three ever thought twice about having consistent nightmares as something odd, I mean how dense can you be? Especially you princess, I would have expected more." Arnold shook his head. "Not that I'm complaining mind you just surprised is all. Anyway, that's not important I suppose we should be on our way, lots to do you know." He smiled and got back to his feet

"You. Will. Not. Take. Them." The great Deku tree managed to say though it sounded like it was a great effort.

Arnold looked at it surprised. "You broke the spell? I'm impressed, I guess "Great Deku Tree" isn't just for show!" He grinned.

As he was still speaking giant tree roots burst from the ground and wrapped around the arcanist lifting him into the air.

"Tree roots? That's so cool! Are these like actual roots or are the physical manifestations? Because physical manifestations would be stronger but it would be harder to do in large quantities." Arnold talked animatedly even though the roots were progressively getting tighter and tighter making his words sound more and more choked.

"Small thing to keep in mind though." Arnold coughed out. "Don't use flammable materials when there's a dragon around."

Said dragon landed with a thud next to the arcanist and blew a small burst of fire over the roots charing them in a second.

"Well I'm getting the feeling that we're overstaying our welcome so I guess we'll get out of your hair, or leaves I guess," Arnold jumped onto the back of the dragon. "Toodle-oo!" He called waving perkily.

The dragon grasped Link, Zelda and Shylock in its claws and shot up through the tree canopy disappearing from sight.


	19. The Final Fight

Shock, or freaking out.

Those seemed to be the only two options for the group after the freezing had worn off. Hugh, Auru and the Great Deku tree fell to the first category while Ashei and Shad fell into the second.

"What in the name of the three goddesses just happened!?" Ashei yelled to no one in particular

Shad just looked panicked and was muttering to himself which only caused Ashei to take her anger out on the poor scholar.

"Will you be quiet!? Your muttering is freaking me out!" Ashei snapped.

"I'll stop muttering if you stop yelling!" Shad yelled back

"Fine I'll stop yelling!" Ashei yelled.

"You're still yelling!" Shad shot back

"So are you!"

"Yeah but I've stopped muttering so I'm allowed to yell!"

"Both of you shut up!" Auru shouted finally snapping out of his stupor.

A beat of silence past over the meadow.

"Ashei go shake your boyfriend out of his shock while Shad and I try to see what's wrong the Deku tree, and after we've all calmed down we'll think of what to do."

As was mentioned Hugh was currently just staring blankly at the place where Link, Zelda and Shylock had been lying. Ashei snapped in front of his face a few times to try to get his attention.

"Hugh! Wake up! We need you back in Norachre so we can figure out what to do!" She said putting her hands on her hips.

Hugh blinked and looked around.

"Oh my goodness that actually happened!" He stammered.

"Yes, that happened I already had my freak out now what are we going to do?" Ashei asked

"Ashei you don't understand! Arnold took them! He's going to kill them! It's going to be Aria all over again!" He said frantically looking around before locking eyes with Ashei again. "We can't let that happen I can't-" his voice broke. "I can't go through that again." He choked his eyes tearing.

Ashei pulled him into a hug. "It won't happen, they'll be alright, we're going to go get them back." She rubbed his back as he returned the hug. "It's going to be alright."

They stayed standing in a hug for a couple seconds longer before Hugh pulled away slightly.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." Hugh sighed

"Hey, you've got more reason to be mad at Arnold then we ever could, a mild freak out it allowed." She reassured. "Besides, you wouldn't be the guy I fell in love with if you didn't have that soft spot you try to hide." She said punching him lightly in the chest.

"I feel like if I wasn't in shock I might be trying to tease you about saying that you love me." He said smiling slightly

"Save it, I'll be expecting it later." Ashei smirked.

"That blasted mage!" The Great Deku tree bellowed suddenly causing them both to jump. "How did he get in here!? I specifically put up a barrier to stop that idiot! Plus he brought a dragon with him!? Dragons aren't supposed to help people like him! They've got to be like the most passive creatures in existence! I mean even the Kokiri are more likely to start a fight than a dragon! All they do is sit around contemplating the meaning of life and sleep for decades at a time!" It ranted as it shook with rage. "And now he's got the Triforce! Not just like one or two pieces either, no it just had to be that they were all here at the same time when he decided to waltz in a grab them! Do you have any idea how much trouble I'm going to be with the sages!? My main job is to protect the Triforce, that's literally why I was created! Well... aside from taking care of the Kokiri and the forest."

"Um." Auru said not sure if the tree was finished its rage fest yet.

The great Deku tree sighed - which looked quite strange coming from a tree- and said. "Alright I'm done."

"Ok so now that that's all out of the way what are we going to do?" Auru asked what was left of the group.

"I think the first thing to do is figure out where Arnold took Link, Zelda and Shylock." Shad pointed out.

"Ugh that's easy." The Deku tree huffed grumpily. "He has a tower a couple miles from here but I can't do a single thing about it since I am literally rooted to the spot."

"Well that's one thing out of the way, so now we just have to figure out how to get them back." Ashei stated

"Yeah we're going to need a lot of help." Hugh pointed out.

"The Gerudo would probably help, Shylock is their king whether he acts like it or not." Shad suggested.

"I might be able to convince Kaori to send some reinforcements if I tell him that the princess was taken." Auru added.

"Ciel and his group were already making attack plans when we were there so if I tell him to wait and join up with us he probably would." Hugh said.

"Do you think that would be enough?" Ashei asked.

"Basically what you just described is around a third of the population of Norachre so if that's not enough you're never getting them back." The great Deku tree remarked.

"Ok but we don't have much time, how are we going to get everyone here in time?" Hugh asked.

"The Kokiri can get your message to everyone within a couple hours." The Deku tree said.

"How can they do that?" Shad asked.

"Trade secret." It replied haughtily, then after a couple seconds answered. "They have really fast carrier hawks."

"Fine so with everyone getting the message today and somehow manage to leave today as well how long will it take for everyone to get here?" Auru asked.

"About 3 days."

"Its longer than I'd like but there's not much I can do about it. We'd better get those messages out as soon as possible." Auru said.

"I'll go get Mido." Hugh offered.

The Kokiri were surprisingly hospitable given their original rough greeting. They were also suitably upset to hear that the Link, who wasn't really Link, but kinda looked like Link, had been taken away and this moved them to send out the messages in record time.

"We almost never send messages so we had to talk to the birds for a while before they understood what they were supposed to do." The girl with blond pigtails, they learned was named Fado, said.

"They will actually get to the people we're hoping for though, right?" Hugh asked worriedly

"Mhmm." Fado hummed happily. "The hawks go outside the forest all the time so they know where everything is." She skipped ahead a couple paces then twirled around to face them again. "Here's my house!" She announced enthusiastically. "You two are going to be my guests until your people get here so please make yourselves comfortable!"

The "house" looked just like a short fat tree that had been hollowed out and had some windows added. Fado happily showed them around the small house and pointed out where they were going to be sleeping. They hadn't been more than put their bags on the ground when there was a knock on the door. Fado skipped over to the window and looked outside.

"It's for you!" She sang before continuing her task of arranging her house for her guests.

Hugh glanced at Ashei and shrugged assuming it was Auru or Shad. Walking over he opened the door only to be tackled to the ground by Krem.

"Hugh! This is so terrible! How could Arnold be so mean and take Link, Shylock and Sheik!?" He cried into Hugh's vest dramatically.

Ciel leaned down and pulled Krem off his brother by the back of his shirt.

"Hey Hugh." Ciel greeted.

"Hey Ciel." Hugh gasped from his place on the ground.

"We came as soon as we got your message, but you kinda delayed us which is irritating." He grumbled as he dropped Krem.

"Delayed you from what?" Hugh grunted as he got to his feet.

"Going and killing Arnold." Krem exclaimed with a huge smile.

"Um you probably shouldn't say such morbid things with a smile like that, you might end up scaring people." Ashei commented as she came to stand next to Hugh in the doorway.

"Hmm you're probably right." Krem said thoughtfully. "How's this? We're going to kill Arnold." He repeated but with a dead expression. "Better?" He asked smiling again

"... I can't decide which is scarier." Ashei admitted

"On a different subject." Hugh interrupted. "What were you thinking going to take on Arnold alone!? Do you have any idea how powerful he is?" He fumed putting his hands on his hips

"Literally have an army under my command, plus multiple attack strategies and retreat plans along with hundreds of weapons, half of which I can use perfectly well and the other half I have basic training with, so yes, I definitely haven't thought this through and am going in blindly, thank you for bringing it to my attention." Ciel countered sarcastically while crossing his arms.

Hugh stood there for a second looking like he was going to say something but couldn't figure out what. "Granted that is more prepared than I thought you were going to be." He conceded reluctantly. "But we'll still have a better chance if we wait until the king's army and the Gerudo get here."

"Well obviously." Krem responded. "That's why we're here."

"Alright then, now that that's all out of the way do you want to come in?" Ashei interjected before Hugh could respond.

"Thank you for the offer Ashei but I don't want to leave King alone for too long, he gets restless and might decide to march on his own." Ciel declined politely

"Oh? I thought that's why you left Thane behind." Ashei stated confused.

"No actually he got waylaid by a group of children earlier so we left him with them while we came here." Ciel said looking over his shoulder to where Hugh and Ashei could just make out a very unhappy looking Thane sitting on the ground getting his hair braided by three different Kokiri.

"He looks like he would appreciate some rescuing." Hugh chuckled

"Nah, let him suffer." Ashei disagreed

Ciel chuckled as well. "I guess he'll be in a bad mood if we don't help so we should go. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon." He said in way of farewell before walking off.

"...I don't get it why does he like you so much and still not like me!?" Hugh complained after they were out of earshot.

"Because I'm clearly superior." Asher replied matter a factly. "And besides he does like you, he just gets annoyed when you baby him."

"I'm not babying him!" Hugh said defensively.

"Yes you are." Ashei retorted. "He's an adult not a little kid, so stop treating him like one and maybe he'll stop being so sarcastic."

"I don't think it's possible for Ciel not to be sarcastic." Hugh said following Ashei back into the house.

"True but he might be slightly less sarcastic." Ashei smirked

"I know how he feels though." Hugh admitted, sitting down on one of the bed Fado had laid out for them. "I would leave right now if I thought we could take Arnold down, but unfortunately I know otherwise." Hugh sighed

Ashes sat down beside him and punched him in the shoulder. "Lighten up! You know we all feel the same and we've done as much as we can do. Being depressed won't help any." She said

Hugh smirked and pulled her into a one arm hug. "When did you get all mature?" He joked

"Hey! I'll have you know that I am very mature!" Ashei responded indignantly but failed to keep a straight face.

"Said the girl who dumped water on my head to wake me up." Hugh laughed

"It worked didn't it?" Ashei laughed

Hugh sighed and rested his head on top of Ashei's. "I hope they're ok."

Link blinked blearily. He tried to look around but his vision was blurry and his head was pounding. He shut his eyes tightly in an attempt to clear his vision.

"Oh looks like he's coming around." Shylock's voice broke the silence.

Link opened his eyes and turned towards the king's voice. His vision cleared some and he could make out Shylock's silhouette with a purple type haze overlaying it.

"Shylock?" Link said his voice rougher than he was expecting.

"The one and only." Shylock chimed. "Tell me are you feeling lightheaded at all? Nauseous? Blurry vision?"

"All of the above." Link groaned and shifted to be in a more comfortable position

"Oh good, I like it when I'm not the only one suffering." He remarked

"How long was I out?" Link asked.

"About 6 hours longer than us, and we estimate that we were unconscious a little less than a day." Shylock answered.

"A day!?" Link exclaimed looking up suddenly and regretted it a second after.

"Link be careful not to move too quickly or you'll end up hitting your head." Zelda said warningly

Link blinked some more and looked around. He finally could see enough to realize that he was in a purplish glass crystal suspended about 10 feet in the air. The crystal was large enough for him to sit comfortably but not enough for him to stand up or lie down.

On an angle across from him were Shylock and Zelda both in individual crystals like his. They were set up in a triangle and Link couldn't help but chuckled cynically at the irony.

"Like your room? Seems like we're going to be here for a while so you'd better not start complaining." Shylock ordered

"That coming from you?" Zelda laughed scornfully. "Be glad you weren't awake when he first woke up. 'Ahhh my head hurts! Why is this crystal so small? Get me out of here I don't like it!' Zelda mocked

"She's so mean." Shylock pouted to Link. "It's not my fault you woke up grumpy."

"I'm grumpy because your buddy Arnold set up a spell that makes it so I can't use my magic PLUS I'm stuck in a crystal AGAIN, like seriously can I not catch a break from being the helpless damsel in distress just once?"

"At least the crystal is a different shape this time?" Link offered helpfully

"I appreciate the sentiment but it amounts to the same thing." Zelda sighed but did smile slightly.

The was silence for a couple seconds before Shylock spoke up again.

"Sooo what now?" He asked

"Well normally I'm stuck here until he comes and fixes everything." Zelda said pointing to Link. "At least that's what happens in all the legends and in real life in our case, but I think this is one of the first times he's stuck here with me."

"Sorry I'm not much help this time." Link smiled apologetically

"It's a pity he didn't put us all in the same crystal because then we could have just wished our way out." Zelda sighed.

"I think that's probably why he didn't put us all in the same crystal." Link pointed out.

"What? We can grant wishes? Since when?" Shylock asked surprised

"Do you know anything about the Triforce?" Zelda huffed

"I know that I was supposed to learn about it in my history class but I fell asleep." Shylock informed her proudly.

Link facepalmed. "Probably shouldn't sound so pleased with yourself when you say things like that." He said trying not to laugh.

"See now I'm just jealous." Zelda said. "How did you get away with sleeping during your lessons?! I assume you were tutored like me so it's not like you can escape notice from the teacher."

"Two tricks." Shylock grinned holding up two fingers. "Sleeping with your eyes open, and having teachers with very low expectations."

Link laughed into his hand then pretended to cough when Zelda rolled her eyes.

"Ok, so spill what's the story with the triangles." Shylock asked. "But please try to keep it short I get bored easily."

"We've noticed." Zelda smirked. "Alright so basically the Triforce is an omnipotent sacred relic that represents the essence of the three Golden Goddesses who created Hyrule. It appeared where they departed the realm for the heavens.

The Triforce of Power - the one you have - embodies the essence of Din, the Goddess of Power, who is the shaper of the realm in which Hyrule exists. Her divine essence grants the holder an unlimited amount of mystical power.

The Triforce of Wisdom - the one I have - holds the essence of Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, who is recognized for creating the physical laws of the realm of Hyrule. It enhances my mystical powers and allows me to think clearer and more logically than most people.

The Triforce of Courage - the one Link has - contains the divine essence of Farore, the Goddess of Courage, who is renowned for creating all life that inhabits the Hyrulean realm. Though, to be honest, no one really seems to know what it does." Zelda finished looking mildly confused.

"Basically it makes me more resilient and less afraid than most people." Link shrugged.

"... Okay..." Shylock said slowly. "My brain feels like it might explode but I think I got it."

"Well you mull on it for a bit I'm going to go back to sleep because even with the Triforce of Wisdom I can't come up with a decent escape solution with a pounding headache." Zelda said holding her head in her hand.

"We'll try to be quiet so you can sleep, right Shylock?" Link asked

"Why are you acting like I'm the one that's going to make a bunch of noise!?" Shylock exclaimed

"Because Link can go days at a time without speaking." Zelda answered her eyes already closed.

"Valid point, ok if you insist I'll be quiet." Shylock relented.

The Gerudo were the next to arrive, thought their arrival was much more conspicuous then Ciel's was.

"WHAT. HAPPENED." Zera demanded as she burst through the door of the triplets' house and by extension, Auru and Shad's. Shad was still asleep when this happened, being as it was around dawn, and nearly ended up falling off his bed from the sudden intrusion. Auru, on the other hand, had just woken up so was less affected.

"Zera." He greeted as he got to his feet. "Perhaps we could discuss this outside? I don't want to wake our hosts if it can be avoided." He said while walking over to the door.

Zera huffed and followed him outside. Waiting outside was 3 other Gerudo guards but otherwise the meadow was empty.

"Do I need to repeat my question?" Zera asked levelly.

"There isn't much I can add apart from what was in the letter." Auru responded calmly.

"There's been no new news?" Zera pressed. "No messages from them?"

"None, we're simply preparing right now." Auru sighed. "With your arrival all we have left is to wait for the king's army."

Zera laughed sardonically. "They're all idiots, we would do better marching now."

"We both know that's not true." Auru disagreed. "Attacking without enough numbers would do your king more harm than good."

Zera glared at the ground but didn't respond.

"You've probably been traveling all night, you should get some sleep." Auru suggested.

Zera whipped up to look at him. "I'm fine." She said tightly.

"I'm sure you are but some of your lower ranks might not be." He pointed out.

"I don't need you to tell me how to care for my girls." Zera said turning on her heel and stomping away.

The three guards watched her go, then one turned back to Auru.

"She's worried, ... we all are." She said by way of explanation

"I know." Auru said simply. "Make sure she gets some sleep, she'll run herself into the ground if she's left alone."

"We will." The guard responded before following Zera.

After Zelda had woken up again Link had taken to trying each one of his wide variety of items in an attempt to escape. Sword, diggers, bow, hookshot, and boomerang all lay discarded at his side while he pulled out his regular and water bombs.

"No Link, it's not worth the injury you'll end up with." Zelda said firmly as he went to light the fuse.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've been blown up." He said with a grin.

"Still."

"How does it feel to be blown up?" Shylock asked curiously. "Because Zera's threatened to blow me up more times then I can count but I wonder what it would actually feel like."

"Well it's definitely not pleasant." Link began. "I would rank it less painful than being frozen then immediately set on fire but more painful than getting stabbed.

"Hmm so to be avoided then?" Shylock smirked.

"For the most part yes." Link agreed.

"Hello all~." Arnold greeted as he appeared suddenly in front of them.

Shylock visibly jumped. "Arnold you have got to stop with the showing off! My nerves can't take having people just randomly appearing in front of me!" Shylock ranted as soon as he had recovered from his shock.

"Apologies," Arnold said his voice dripping sincerity. "I'll request my dragon to join me by foot if it bothers you that much."

As he spoke said dragon made its appearance climbing the stairs to the room they were being held in. Its glassed over eyes stared at them silently for a few agonizing seconds before it came and lay down under Zelda's crystal.

"There much better." Arnold said happily. "Now I figured I should check in and make sure you were all conscious, my spell wouldn't work if you weren't so I'm glad to see you all up and about." He noticed them glaring at him. "Relatively speaking anyway." He added noting their small living quarters

"Are you going to leave now or do you have more monologuing to do?" Zelda asked impatiently

"More monologuing." Arnold answered cheerfully

"If you're going to do that can you at least give me something to eat first, I'm starving over here!" Shylock complained

"No I don't think so," Arnold replied. "It's far too much effort to open those crystals and besides you won't be feeling hungry soon enough so there's no point wasting food."

"Why won't we be hungry?" Shylock stage-whispered to Link.

"He's planning to kill us." Link sighed tired of the conversation already. "Can't be hungry if you're dead."

"Well that's just rude!" Shylock exclaimed. "You officially not on my friend list anymore." He said before turning his back to the Mage.

"If it makes you feel any better I did look into ways to get the Triforce without killing you." Arnold mentioned.

"There are ways to do it." Zelda pointed out.

"Yes but this is easier." Arnold shrugged

"Psychopath." Shylock muttered

"Inaccurate but I won't bother correcting you." Arnold replied. "Anyway, I could spout the normal things, like don't bother trying to escape, there's no way to stop me, but why bother? Neither of us can know one way or another who's going to win." He smirked. "I wouldn't hold onto too much hope though, it makes things so much more unpleasant at the end don't you agree?"

"I agree completely." Zelda snarled.

Arnold simply smiled at her reaction. "I've only a few more things to collect before we can get this unfortunate procedure out of the way so I'll leave you four alone for a bit but then I'll be back." He waved cheerfully and waltzed back down the stairs, only to pop back up a couple of seconds after and say. "I used the stairs I hope that makes you feel slightly better Shylock." He smiled widely and descended the stairs again.

"Auggghh! He is so infuriating! He was so much more fun when he was just helping me prank people!" Shylock burst out angrily

Zelda was staring at the stairs with her hands balling into fists. She was looking more and more like she was going to burst in a similar, but more violent, way to Shylock.

"Breathe." Link advised.

Zelda closed her eyes and breathed deeply once.

"He's not worth it, we just have to focus on getting out." Link continued quietly.

"And not get eaten by the dragon." Shylock added.

"Thank you Shylock." Link said sarcastically

"Hey I'm just saying, it's something to keep in mind." Shylock defended.

"Still need to work on timing." Link stated pointedly

"I'm ok Link, thank you though." Zelda said

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, my anger just overtook me for a second but I'm better now." She assured him. "And as for the dragon, I wonder if we could use it to our advantage." Zelda added looking thoughtfully at the dragon beneath her.

"How?" Link asked.

"Well normally dragons aren't so vacant, and they certainly don't take orders like this one is so I figure Arnold's put it under some type of spell." Zelda explained.

"And if we break the spell the dragon will, what? Eat Arnold?" Shylock asked.

"Hard to say but I doubt it will attack us." Zelda responded.

"Soooo, how do we break it?"

"Well I think that's going to be up to you, Link and I can't do much within these crystals but since you have the Triforce of power there a good chance you'd be able to break out of here or at least affect something outside your crystal." Zelda said to the king.

"I'm going to what now?"

"Use your Triforce of power, and sooner rather than later unless you want to try it while Arnold's here." Zelda reiterated.

Shylock sighed deeply "That sounds like a lot of work but fine what do I do?"

Hugh wandered through the small city of tents that had literally sprung up overnight. Ciel and Zera's groups had managed to mesh seamlessly and had already begun sharing weapons and supplies. Ciel had credited this to the fact that the Gerudo were already their trade partners so they were already somewhat familiar with each other but Hugh could help but be proud of his little brother's accomplishments.

"Hugh a moment if you wouldn't mind." Zera called him over from a table next to one of the Gerudo tents.

"What's up?" Hugh asked as he got nearer.

"We just received word from Kaori, they should be arriving mid-morning tomorrow." She informed him

"That's great!" Hugh said breathlessly. "Will they be ready to march right away?"

"I believe so, if we can get camp packed up before they arrive we should be able to." Zera confirmed.

"Thank you for telling me! I'll go let everyone else know." Hugh called over his shoulder as he rushed back to the Kokiri entrance.

"Anything?" Shylock asked through clenched teeth. He sat in his crystal his hands making a circle near his chest, his eyes shut tight.

"No nothing," Zelda sighed. "Maybe you need to curling your hands more."

Shylock sighed loudly and dropped his hands. "We've been at this for hours! And nothing's happening!"

"Actually, we've only been at this for 15 minutes." Zelda rolled her eyes.

"And you did get a spark one of the times." Link pointed out trying to sound upbeat.

Shylock groaned and slouched against the back of the crystal. "I have no idea what I'm doing, why did I get stuck with the power Triforce?!" He complained

"Go ahead and take a break." Zelda instructed. "We'll try again in a few minutes."

Shylock muttered to himself for a few more seconds before going quiet.

Zelda sighed and glanced downward at the dragon beneath her assessing their options again.

"Frowning doesn't suit you much princess, I much prefer it when you're happy." Link grinned in the hopes of making Zelda smile as well.

Zelda looked up startled, she hadn't realized she had been frowning. She smiled and responded "How many times to do I have to tell you to call me Zelda?"

Link shrugged. "Guess we'll have to wait and see." He responded

She chuckled then sighed again. "You're right I should be more positive I'm sorry." Zelda smiled sadly

"I only meant to make you smile it makes me feel worthless when I can't help you feel better." Link admitted.

"Well though I appreciate it I definitely don't want to make you feel worthless." Zelda replied

Shylock snorted. "I think I'm going I start to drown if this conversation gets any mushier."

Link and Zelda both immediately turned a light shade of red and looked away.

"Take these food packs and load them behind the tents, Ciel wants us ready to move in less than an hour." Thane ordered a few of the remaining men left without jobs.

"Thane go check the bulblins, our men know how to pack up." Ciel instructed.

Thane nodded and jogged off.

"The Gerudo say they'll be ready to leave on time, they've already got most of their tents packed and the horses loaded." Krem said as he ran up to Ciel's side.

"Good, go check on my brother and his people and make sure they're ready." He told Krem.

"Right away cap-i-tan." Krem responded with a phoney salute before rushing off again.

Ducking under the men carrying crates and weaving around bulblins tying up packs Krem quickly found himself in front of the forest entrance. Wasting no time he ran through the hollow tree trunk and into the Kokiri meadow.

"State your name and business!" Mido demanded stepping in front of Krem.

Krem skidded to a halt to avoid barrelling into the boy. He pinwheeled his arms to avoid losing his balance and ending up on his face.

"Seriously? How many times are we going to do this?!" Krem asked irritatedly putting his hands on his hips. "Every time I come in here you do this! I'm sure by now you know what my name is."

"Hmph, it's not my fault I can't see who it is that's coming through the entrance, besides you still have to tell me why you're coming into the Kokiri forest!" Mido countered sticking his nose in the air.

Krem rolled his eyes. "And I need to tell you that why again?"

"Because I'm the great Mido! And no one goes through the entrance without my say so!" He declared

Krem groaned. "You are so annoying." He said scraping his hand down his face. "Fine, I'm going to check and see if Ashei, Hugh, Auru, and Shad are ready to leave, now will you let me through? Ciel will be mad if I'm gone too long."

Mido made a show of thinking it over. "I guess I could let you through this time, but only because it means you'll be leaving soon!"

"Whatever you want to tell yourself buddy." Krem grumbled before pushing past the red-haired boy and jogged towards the triplet's house. He knocked a bunch of times before bouncing on his heels impatiently. The door finally opened revealing one of the know it all brothers. Krem had managed to determine what their individual names were but they all preferred to be known just by the triplets or as the know it all brothers so he didn't bother using their names.

"Hi Krem! Do you need something?" One of the brothers asked.

"Yeah is Auru or Shad here?" Krem asked glancing into the house.

"Yep they're both here." He responded inviting Krem in.

"Thanks." Krem said then he spotted Shad. "Shad! How close are you to being ready?!" He asked jumping on top of the unfortunate scholar.

"Krem, what would Ciel say if he saw you tackling people." Auru asked warningly.

"Right now he wouldn't care as long as I get you moving faster." Krem responded.

Auru sighed. "We'll be ready don't worry the Gerudo were already here 'helping'."

"Oh yeah! That reminds me!" Krem said suddenly. "Shad, I've overheard quite a few Gerudo ladies talking about you, they seems to be quite 'enamoured by your adorableness', I'm pretty sure that's how they put it." He grinned

Shad blushed bright red. "I don't think that they would want me knowing that." He said quietly.

"Yeah I know, but we might die so I figured, what could it hurt." Krem shrugged. "K got to go check on Ashei and Hugh, bye!" He said before running out of the house.

He spotted them standing outside the house they were staying in. They were clearly deep in conversation and Krems curious nature got the better of him. Sneaking up the ramp to the roof of Fido's house he sat himself down over where the two were standing.

"Just please be careful." Hugh was saying as he held Ashei close to him.

Ashei pulled away enough to give him an exasperated look. "You know I can take care of myself."

"I know but still, I don't think I could live without you." He murmured

"Well if you manage to somehow keep yourself alive you won't have to." Ashei smiled fondly.

Hugh kissed her deeply. "I'll try my best not to die." He said smiling.

"Glad to hear it." Ashei smirked

"You guys are so adorable it's gross." Krem said breaking into the conversation

Both their heads snapped up to look at him with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment.

"You little brat!" Ashei fumed before sprinting up the ramp towards him.

"Uh oh." Krem gulped before scrambling to his feet and jumping down to the ground. Rolling to break his fall Krem ended up popping up right next to Hugh.

"Hi," He said quickly waving. "Ceil wants us to leave now. Bye!" He said then started running back towards the entrance.

He could hear Ashei yelling at him as he ran but he was sure she wouldn't follow. Grinning he swerved to avoid Mido and his inevitable monologue and dashed through the forest entrance to tell Ceil the update.

Shylock had managed to create a small and rather pathetic looking ball of energy after some instruction from Zelda.

"Ok now try aiming it towards the shield." Zelda said

Shylock shifted slightly and concentrated really hard on willing the energy ball to do his bidding. Unfortunately for him, the ball was having none of it and bounced off the crystal's wall and back at him, electrocuting him quite thoroughly. After a long string of curses Shylock threw his hands in the air.

"THIS IS NOT WORKING!" He yelled grabbing at his hair in frustration.

"Shylock come on, you're making progress don't give up." Zelda appealed trying to calm the king.

"Not all of us have your patience princess!" He snapped, pointing a finger at Zelda. "And frankly I'm getting pretty irritated, so back off!"

Link frowned, surprised by the king's uncharacteristic outburst but even more surprised by the raw power that had begun to radiate off him while he was having it.

"I guess we shouldn't have gotten our hopes up Zelda, he's clearly too weak to do much of anything." Link said with freight nonchalance.

Both Zelda hand Shylock looked at him shocked as it was unheard of for Link to talk like that.

"Well sorry mister high and mighty warrior that I happen to prefer brains over brawn." Shylock shot back.

Link bit back a smile when he saw that tiny sparks of electricity had started to appear around the king.

"I'm starting to wonder if you have either." Link taunted. "It seems like Zera has to do all the thinking for you."

"WHAT!?" Shylock roared.

"He's right." Zelda joined in catching on to Link's plan. "I'm surprised they haven't tried to get rid of you yet, since you're obviously little more than a pretty face."

"YOU TWO HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Shylock fumed his face as red as his hair.

Link watched eagerly as a full blow lighting storm surrounded Shylock. He grabbed hold of his sword as subtly as he could.

"I'm sure that Zera would do a much better job of ruling if she did manage to get rid of you. The deadweight holding her back." Zelda said adding fuel to the fire.

"I'm sure no one would even miss you." Link said dropping the straw that broke the camel's back.

"SHUT UP!" Shylock yelled the power exploding out of him in one giant burst. The magic tore through all the crystals shattering them to millions of pieces and suddenly they were all falling.

Now a factor that had gone completely unnoticed during their first fight with the dragon was that on the back of its neck was a single scale that was a slightly different color from the rest. If they were to look directly for it, it would have been almost impossible to spot. But since Zelda had been hovering directly above it while in her crystal, the result of Shylock's power burst was that the princess had landed on that the exact scale; and that scale was the thing keeping the dragon under Arnold's spell.

Zelda hadn't known this and had quickly jumped off the dragon's back hoping to put some distance between them. Link had been the next to recover from the fall and had immediately grabbed his sword dashing over to stand between the dragon and Zelda. The dragon looked at him curiously but didn't appear to have any interest in attacking.

"Zelda are you alright?" Link asked glancing over his shoulder.

Zelda was getting to her feet and watching the dragon warily.

"Yeah I'm fine." She responded. "How's Shylock?"

Link glanced to where he had fallen. "Still knocked out." He replied.

"I think the spell is gone." Zelda said

"What, how?" Link asked

"I don't know but look at its eyes, they're not glassed over anymore." And this was true the dragon's eyes were a sharp green and were staring at the two intently.

Zelda took a deep breath and spoke with a powerful voice. "ɣ- ʣʤ ʦ jyʧ"

She had spoken what she hoped was greeting in the dragon speech that she had learned from her studies.

The dragon stared at her with interest.

"ɣ- ʣʤ ʦ jyʧ" she repeated.

"ʣʦʨ ʤs ʂ ɕ ʧ" The dragon replied surprising all of them to at least some degree.

"Do you speak Hylilian?" She asked tentatively.

"I am aware of this speech." The dragon answered, its voice jarringly loud yet not angry sounding. "Are ye the one of which caused the spell to break?"

Zelda walked in front of Link placing a hand on his sword hand. He lowered it carefully but didn't put it away.

"Yes, I broke the spell put upon you." She responded

"I am in thy debt." It said bowing its head. "Where be the one who cast the spell?"

"Unfortunately he's right there." Link sighed pointing to the stairway where the Arnold had just appeared.

"Excuse me! I demand to know what is going on! Honestly, I can't leave you guys on your own for more than two seconds without everything going to chaos!" Arnold fumed, stomping towards them.

"Link go take care of Shylock." Zelda told him.

Link began to protest but a look from the princess silenced him.

"I'll be fine, go!" She urged before turning her attention back to the Mage.

Link hesitated a second longer before jogging to the king's side. A second after he knelt down to check on Shylock's condition a white-blue dome-shaped shield appeared above the two.

Link spun around just in time to see Arnold grab Zelda by the throat holding her a couple inches above the ground.

"Zelda!" Link cried. He tried to run back to help but the shield blocked him. He pounded the dome trying to escape.

"Your plan is a bit flawed don't you think princess?" Arnold taunted. "By shielding them you also got rid of your only support."

"Oh really?" Zelda choked out, a small triumphant grin settling on her face.

"Put the maiden down!" The dragon growled coming up next to them.

Arnold cleared his throat. "Well," he said lowering Zelda slightly. "I see you have been busy."

"I will not repeat myself again Mage, release her!" It snarled.

"Easy easy! Sheesh! I don't know why everyone is in such a bad mood around here." Arnold rolled his eyes and put Zelda down.

"It might have something to do with the whole attempted murder part." Zelda said, rubbing her neck. "It tends to ruin people's day."

"Ugh! Fine! If it's going to be this much of a hassle to kill you three I'll just use the other method of taking the triforce!" Arnold said throwing his hands in the air. "Are you happy now?!"

"No." Zelda deadpanned

"Why not?!"

"Because you have killed people! You've killed people and you don't even care! You would do it again if you felt the urge and I will not stand by and watch people get hurt by you any longer!" Zelda declared her hands tingling with unused magic build up.

Arnold blinked twice. "Are you challenging me?" He asked tilting his head slightly.

"She is not alone be that her intention." The dragon answered in Zelda's place. "But even if she is not, I have a score to settle."

Arnold giggled, covering his mouth he continued to grin.

"My my I haven't been challenged like this in ages." He gushed. "This shall be fun!"

His hands lit on fire and he began to levitate.

"Whenever you're ready." He called cheerfully

Zelda teleported to on top of the dragon's back and the fight had begun.

No more than a couple of words had passed with Kaori and Renjiro before they had set off towards Arnold's tower.

Hugh breathed deeply to calm his nerves as the tower came into view.

The three armies followed behind him, Ashei, Ceil, Auru, Kaori, and Zera. He glanced at Ashei and Ceil.

"I feel like I should say something before we go in." He admitted. "Like saying thank you for responding to the summons or something- anything really, what do you think?" Hugh asked unsurely.

Ashei looked like she was going to respond but Ceil answered before she could.

"You do and I'll disown you." He deadpanned, then after a second added. "Again."

He looked over at Hugh and saw him with an exaggerated hurt expression.

Ceil rolled his eyes. "You have to remember, these people are soldiers, they're not like your townspeople who need encouragement to get things done. If you act like they need to be babied to get them motivated they'll just be insulted." He explained.

Hugh considered that for a second before nodding. "Yeah ok I guess you have a point." He conceded

"Of course I do, now let's go break down this door." Ceil responded with a smirk.

Link sat cross-legged inside Zelda's protective shield and watched as a very impressive and surprisingly intense magic battle took place in front of him. Arnold and Zelda with the dragon's help were pretty equal. One moment the dragon was breathing fire at the Mage while Zelda threw blades of condensed magic at his back, only to have it change to Arnold dropping a combination of ice and rock chunks on their heads while Zelda deflected them with miniature explosions. They teleported almost constantly making Link's neck hurt while he tried to follow them. The only constant was the dragon, or so he thought until it started to fly, changing the dynamics of the fight completely again. Even with all this neither seemed to be gaining the advantage, which made Link more than a little tense, but he was still happy that a stalemate meant that Arnold wasn't winning.

Sitting still through all this was driving him a bit insane, but then he reminded himself that there was no way for him to help, being as he was trapped in a bubble with an unconscious Gerudo.

Link glanced over at the king with a sigh, he hadn't responded to any of Link's earlier attempts to wake him but he didn't appear to be hurt so that was a plus. Link leaned over and nudged Shylock's shoulder again.

He groaned quietly and screwed his eyes shut tighter. Surprised to get any response Link nudged him again harder. Shylock groaned again but did open his eyes slightly, looking up at Link with a very annoyed expression.

"I hurt." He whined.

"I'm not surprised." Link answered turning his attention back to the fight.

Shylock put a hand to his head and groaned a third time before finally sitting up. He squinted around for a couple seconds before turning to look at Link.

"I missed something didn't I." He said

"Just a bit." Link responded with a chuckle. "Sorry about all the stuff I said earlier, I didn't mean any of it." He said apologetically.

"Meh, don't worry about it, it riled me up which I guess was the point." Shylock shrugged.

"Got us out of the crystals, so thanks." Link grinned

"No problem." Shylock responded.

They watched as Arnold flew past their dome and hit into the wall, Zelda running after him shooting sparks from her hands only to have to change to a shield when Arnold got back to his feet and started pelting her with hailstones.

"Jeez your girlfriend can be scary if she wants to be." Shylock commented.

Link smiled. "She's pretty amazing alright." He agreed.

"...so who's winning?" The king asked after a couple seconds.

The dragon whipped past them leaving trails of fire in its wake which Link blinked at for a second before shrugging.

"Currently a stalemate." Link admitted his expression slightly grim

"Hmm." Shylock hummed.

Zelda hissed slightly as a glass shard sliced her arm. Glancing up she saw Arnold smirking condescendingly at her while shielding himself from the dragon's claws. There was no sugar coating it, Arnold was far stronger than she had imagined. So far she was holding her own but that wouldn't be enough. She needed a new plan and fast. Flipping to the side she dodged a magic blast and quickly cast a spell that set up miniature explosions around the Mage. She knew it wouldn't hurt him but it acted as a makeshift smokescreen.

Dashing over to the dome she had created she threw a projection of multiple clones behind her to try to buy her time after the smokescreen died down.

"Link!" She called skidding to a stop next to the dome.

"Princess!" Shylock greeted her instead, waving happily at her.

"Shylock you're awake! Even better! I need your guys help." She said breathlessly

"You're going to let us out?" Link asked with a mixture of both excitement and surprise.

"No." Zelda shook her head." I'm going to open a section so you can use your bow and arrow to shoot Arnold while he's distracted." She explained

Link's expression darkened slightly. "Zelda please let me help you!" He insisted. "Just take down the shield."

Zelda looked like she was going to respond but suddenly a chunk of the tower wall appeared over her head and was dropping towards her causing her to have to jump out of the way.

"Having a nice chat?" Arnold asked innocently. "Am I not making things interesting enough?"

Zelda grit her teeth and twisted her hands making the floor from under him crumble and pull him down. While he teleported out of the way she concentrated long enough to open just a 2" by 1" rectangle in her shield.

"Shoot him with everything you've got!" She yelled before teleporting to the dragon's back again.

"Zelda! Wait! Let me help!" Link called after her even though he was sure she wouldn't hear him.

He sighed heavily. "I'm starting to understand why she hated being stuck in a crystal so much last time." He grumbled.

"Hey let me see your pocket." Shylock said ignoring him and grabbing for the pocket.

Link rolled his eyes and handed it to the king.

"She's being so stubborn! Does she not realize that she could die?" Link grumbled.

"I personally and quite happy she left the shield up, I enjoy keeping all my limbs intact." Shylock responded and he rummaged around in Link's pocket.

"Why am I not surprised?" He responded dryly. "Here give me that." Link took the pocket back and grabbed out his diggers. "Try to shoot Arnold, I'm going to go help." He said pulling the diggers onto his hands and kneeling next to the edge of the dome.

"Link listen to me. I may be a wimp but I also know that the second she takes down that shield Arnold is going to attack us; same applies if you dig out. I also know that neither of us have a way to protect ourselves from magic like she can so why don't we do things her way and get shooting." He said holding up Link's bow and arrow.

"... I guess you have a point." Link admitted reluctantly putting away the diggers.

"Thank ya." Shylock drawled. "Now let me see here." He said looking over Link's choices of arrows. He picked up the ice arrows. "Yuck definitely not." He toss them away. He gingerly picked up the bomb arrows. "These look like they would hurt, and they're more likely to hurt me than Arnold so no." He said putting them to the side. He picked up the fire arrows. "Now these I like." He grinned and notched the arrow.

"Anytime would be nice gentlemen!" Zelda yelled as she dodged a group of enchanted ropes that tried to grab at her.

"Working on it!" Shylock called back.

"Are you sure your-" Link started to ask.

"I got this." Shylock said confidently pulling the string back. "TAKE THIS ARNOLD YOU JERK!" He yelled as he loosed the arrow.

The arrow flew through the air and... completely missed. It flew around 5 feet to the left of Arnold and hit the back wall with a small clank sound.

Everyone stopped and stared at it for a couple seconds before looking back at Shylock with identical expressions of 'Seriously?'

"Hmm, it always looked easy when other people did it." He commented idly. "K I want something different what else do you have?" He asked Link.

Zelda, Arnold and the dragon resumed fighting while Link dug through his pocket again. He pulled out the cannon shield he had bought from Malo's and handed it to the king.

"Ooh! It's shiny I like it!" Shylock said excitedly. He pressed it against the opening and started firing randomly, giggling like a little kid while doing so. Link doubted Shylock was even trying to aim but it was working as a good distraction, he just hoped his wouldn't end up hitting Zelda or the dragon by accident.

Picking up the discarded bow and arrow he notched a bomb arrow and pulled the string taut.

Zelda and Arnold were currently teleporting so he couldn't get a lock but he was willing to wait. Arnold switched tactics and froze one of the dragon's feet to the ground before summoning a black ball of energy between his fingers. Seconds before he could shoot it at Zelda Link loose the arrow. He hit him dead on and exploded. Zelda ran over and tackled him while he was dazed punching him solidly in the jaw. The mage's eyes rolled back unconscious.

"Not so great against physical attacks now are you." Zelda said smugly getting back to her feet.

The dragon came over and placed a clawed foot on Arnold's stomach holding him down. Zelda ran over to the shield and dissipated it.

"Nice shooting." She said pulling Link to his feet.

"Nice punch." He returned grinning.

Shylock cleared his throat. "And me?" He asked expectantly

"Nice distraction?" Zelda offered.

"Think nothing of it I'm happy to help." He said with over exaggerated false modesty.

They all laughed before they heard the dragon shift behind them.

"Maiden I fear the Mage will not stay down long, what is your plan?" It asked looking down at Arnold with teeth bared.

"We're going to take away his magic." She said resolutely. "That way he can't hurt people anymore."

"You can do that?" Shylock asked in surprise

"No, but we can." She said. "Come on we don't have much time." She said dashing back over to Arnold, Link and Shylock close behind.

"How exactly are we going to do this?" Shylock asked as they came up next to the Mage's prone body.

"Remember that wish thing I told you about before?" Zelda asked.

Shylock gasped. "We're going to do that!?" He asked excitedly

"Hopefully." Zelda responded. "It's not like it's ever been done before so I'm not sure how well it will work but we'll try."

"What do we do?" Link asked

"Stick out your triforce hand." Zelda instructed as she held out her right hand.

Link brought up his left hand, and Shylock brought up both his hands. They glanced at him confused.

"I don't know which one it is." He said in explanation.

"The one that's glowing." Link told him.

Shylock look at his hands. "Oh! That makes sense." He smiled as he dropped his other hand back to his side.

The triforce pieces came off their hands and met in the middle of them reforming the complete triforce.

Zelda reached forward and touched it, the triforce pulsed in responded and shone a bright gold.

"Three goddesses, please hear our wish, remove from this man the powers he uses to harm, make it impossible for him to hurt and kill anyone ever again so that peace may again come to Hyrule and Norachre." Zelda wished

The triforce glowed and began to spin. Tendrils of light came out and went into Arnold ridding him of all the magic he had built up in his body. It finished in seconds and the triforce was once again split into three on their hands.

"Well that was kinda anticlimactic." Shylock said after a second. "I was expecting a little more pizazz."

"Not everything has to be flashy." Zelda said.

"No but it's more fun when it is." Shylock grinned

Zelda looked like she was going to say something but they all stopped when they heard a loud crashing noise below them followed by a rush of feet coming up the stairs.

Hugh, Ashei, and Ciel followed by their army all flooded into the room. Hugh caught sight of the dragon first and started charging towards it. Link without even thinking grabbed his hookshot and fired it at Hugh's legs, using the upgrade to pull his feet out from under him.

"The dragon isn't going to attack!" He called. "We're fine!"

Hugh glared at him. "You couldn't have said that before you trip me with a hookshot?"

"Sorry." Link rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just reacting and it didn't look like you were going to stop."

"Whatever just say something next ti- wait hold on a second, back up! What do you mean you're fine!? Where's Arnold?" Hugh protested.

"Here." Shylock supplied helpfully pointing at the Mage who was still under the dragon's foot and whom Zelda was currently putting under a sleeping spell.

"So you mean to tell me we got an entire army together and you guys took him down by yourself!?" Ciel asked in disbelief.

"Actually it was mostly Zelda." Link corrected

"With the dragon's help." Zelda added.

"And my distracting!" Shylock added proudly.

"What's going on? Why did everyone stop?" Krem asked as he, Zera, Kaori, Renjiro, Auru, Shad and Thane came up to the front of the group.

"Because apparently these show-offs decided they could take on the insane super Mage by themselves!" Hugh fumed gesturing frustratedly at the three.

"Wait, so they're fine?" Kaori asked.

"Apparently!" Hugh exclaimed.

"Which makes all of us look like complete idiots." Ceil added.

"Plus now the dragon is good too so we can't even fight it!" Ashei said annoyed.

"Sorry?" Link and Zelda both said at the same time.

Hugh sighed and marched over to them. "Whatever I can't even be mad, I'm just so relieved you guys are ok." He said surprising them by pulling the three into a hug.

"Group hug!" Krem exclaimed and ran over to join.

Everyone else shook their heads but came over around them. Ceil started asking them about the fight, Zera bonked Shylock on the head for worrying her but then pulled him into a one arm hug, Kaori and Renjiro started checking over Arnold to see if he was going to wake up, Ashei punched Link in the shoulder and told him to leave some fighting for them next time, Krem started climbing on the dragon's back while Thane yelled at him to get down, Auru and Shad started offering potions and bandages, mostly to Zelda who had taken the brunt of the attacks.

All in all it was a very happy reunion, but the question still remained, what would happen to Arnold.

"The triforce took away his magic so he won't be a threat to anyone anymore." Zelda explained.

"Like that's enough of a punishment." Hugh huffed.

"I have a few ideas I could try if you release him to me." Ceil offered with a hard glint in his eye.

"Somehow I feel like allowing that would be overdoing it, even for him." Zelda shook her head.

"If I may, Arnold is, in all technicalities, my problem." Kaori cut in. "Though I am very grateful to you all for your help, I feel I should take it from here."

"And what exactly do you plan to do with him?" Ceil asked crossing his arms.

"I will bring him back to the capital with me, and he will be put in the castle's dungeon where he can be closely monitored. Should he ever display proper remorse for his actions he may end up being released, but still held on a short leash so as to ensure nothing like this ever happens again." Kaori said

"That's it?" Ashei asked incredulously

"Ashei." Zelda said warningly. "That will be acceptable, thank you Kaori."

"Actually I'm with Ashei on this one, this hardly seems like a punishment compared with what he did." Ceil said.

"This is a difficult concept to explain, but losing your magic to a magic user is paramount to losing a limb, or multiple limbs depending on how heavily you depend on it. For a mage of Arnold's caliber losing the magic he's spent his entire life collecting will be more than enough of a punishment." Zelda explained gently. "You can be rest assured he will be paying for what he did for the rest of his life."

Ciel and Hugh looked at each other for a couple seconds before nodding slightly.

"In that case, I will wish you all well and we will be on our way." Kaori said with a bow. "I would prefer to get Arnold locked up before he wakes if at all possible."

"I'll alert the soldiers." Renjiro said. "Safe journeys." He said with a nod to the group.

"I think I'll join you if your majesty would allow it." Ceil said. "I would more at ease if I personally see that this man is put behind bars. Besides, should he wake up an extra pair of hands may not be unnecessary."

"Of course, I would be happy to have your crew along." Kaori nodded with a smile. "I overheard on the way here that you're looking for new trade partners, perhaps we can discuss that on the way."

"Thank you, your majesty, I'll get my crew ready." Ciel said bowing. "Krem! Get down from that dragon, we're leaving. Thane go inform King about our change in plans." He ordered.

"Aww already!?" Krem whined from behind one of the dragon's spines.

"Yes. Now hurry up." Ciel said unsympathetically. "And Thane while you're going, send in some men to carry the Mage." He said the last few words with obvious disgust and a sideward glance at Arnold. "I don't trust myself not to kill him if I go near him."

"And on that happy note," Krem said sarcastically. "I guess we have to say goodbye, again! Sheesh you guys are going to have to come visit and this time for more than a day, cuz we barely get any time to talk!" He huffed with his hands on his hips.

"Don't worry we definitely will." Link chuckled as he ruffled his hair.

"Good!" Krem said happily before tackle hugging everyone and running out the door.

"The invitation goes for me as well, I hope to see you all soon." Kaori said waving as he accompanied the men carrying Arnold out of the building.

Everyone waved and promised they would.

"The village is a bit in ruins at the moment, but I'd love to have you visit if you find the time." Hugh offered rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Ciel looked at the ground. "Yeah I'll think about it." He said after a while. "I've got to get going, but I'll see you guys around." He nodded to everyone then followed Kaori.

"I will take my leave now in the same manner as the rest, I will forever be in your debit maiden for your aid." The dragon said. "I wish you good health and a happy future." It slid past them and down the stairs.

"I guess that just leaves us eh?" Shylock spoke up. "You guys need a place to crash before you head back to Hyrule?"

"I think we'll be ok, the kokiri offered before we left so we'll probably stay there then see how we're feeling." Hugh said

"Shall I go get the girls ready?" Zera asked.

"That might be a bit difficult with your arm around my shoulder but your welcome to try." Shylock teased.

Zera yanked her arm back like she had burned. She had apparently forgotten she had her arm slung over Shylock's shoulder.

"Hey I didn't tell you to take it off." Shylock winked. "I meant I'll come with you silly." He shook his head with a grin. "Now don't forget, I offered for you guys to visit before they all did so if I hear you went to see them first I will shun you all." He threatened with mock seriousness.

"Don't worry, we wouldn't dream of missing out on an opportunity to visit the desert again right Hugh?" Ashes said nudging him teasingly. Hugh rolled his eyes.

"Of course we'll come to visit." Auru said

"Um actually." Shad broke in speaking up for the first time in a while.

They all looked at him confused.

"Is something wrong?" Zelda asked.

"No, no! Not at all, I just have a bit of a request to ask." Shad said nervously.

Shylock quirked an eyebrow. "Something to ask me?"

"Yes," Shad fidgeted with the edges of his coat. "I was hoping to perhaps accompany you back to your fortress, you see I was really enjoying learning about your culture and history while we were visiting last, and well the girls promised to show me your archives but we had to leave before they could and I don't really have anything that requires my attention urgently back home so... if it's too much trouble, just forget I asked! It's really fine! I just thought I could maybe take advantage of this opportunity and-" he rambled nervously

Shylock started to laugh. "Yeah of course you can come with us!" He said slapping Shad on the back. "We always love visitors, and we definitely have the room, as long as your group is ok with losing you?" He said casting a glance around the group.

"It's fine with me, if that's what you want to do." Auru said.

"Man, ditching us for a bunch of girls I never thought I'd see the day." Ashei teased. Then cut off Shad's denials with - "Chill man I'm just joking. Just make sure not to forget about us back in Hyrule." Then punched him lightly on the shoulder.

Shad promised he would come back soon then waved as he followed Zera outside.

Shylock came up behind Link and Zelda and pulled them into a hug.

"Take care of yourselves triforce buddies!" He said with a wide smile. "And keep me updated as to your guys' wedding plans ok? I want to be first on the invite list! I'll even be your flower girl if you want me to!" He dashed past them towards the exit before they could respond, then spun around before he left and yelled back. "Toodles! Love ya! Oh and make sure to put the princess to bed before she passes out!"

Link turned to look at Zelda instantly concerned.

"I'm fine Link." She said in response to his unasked question. She teetered a bit. "Just tired."

"Well if that's the case." He said then picked her up carrying her bridal style. "We'd better follow Shylock's instructions."

Zelda blushed deeply. "I don't need to be carried!" She insisted embarrassedly

"I know," he shrugged. "But that's not going to stop me." He said and started walking towards the exit, everyone else following.

Hugh glanced at Ashei.

"Don't even think about it." She said in response.

"Nah, I figure it's more likely you would end up carrying me then me carrying you." Hugh laughed.

"You got that right." Ashei grinned.


	20. Home

All the Kokiri - even Mido to some extent - were very excited to welcome the five back to their forest. Most had wanted to put together some sort of party to congratulate them on not dying but Auru had informed them that, at this point, they really just wanted to sleep. The Kokiri had simply shrugged and ran to get some beds ready for them. The Great Deku tree had been over the moon, as much as a tree can be, to find out that the Triforce was safe and that Arnold was out of commission, it simply couldn't stop shaking with joy which was quite entertaining to watch. It had insisted that they stay at least for the following day so as to make sure they were properly recovered and restocked before they went home and since no one really had the energy to say no they agreed. Following these conversations they all had passed out rather quickly either from being on an adrenaline rush or from fighting.

The next morning mostly involved sleeping in and late breakfast. Zelda decided to go for a walk after eating and asked if Link was interested in joining her. He obviously said yes.

"So is there anywhere specific you would like to walk?" Link asked as they exited the house.

"Not particularly," Zelda shrugged. "Do you have a suggestion?"

Link grinned. "Lost woods?"

"That's a real place?" Zelda asked surprised

"Apparently. One of the know-it-all brothers told me it's just up the ledge over there." Link said pointing.

"And you believe him? They're not the most reliable sources of information."

"Well there's one way to find out." he said his smile growing.

Zelda smiled back. "Lead the way." She said.

They made their way up the hill towards the area that the Kokiri had told them it was. Zelda noted that she was thankful she could get away with wearing pants out here as climbing in a full-length dress would be quite difficult.

"Why not just pass a law to ban dresses or something?" Link offered as she came up behind him.

"I have a feeling that wouldn't go over so well." Zelda said. "Besides it's not that dresses themselves are bad it's just that they get in the way a lot."

"Still think you shouldn't have to wear them if you don't want to." Link commented.

"I agree; maybe I'll look into it when we get back."

They came across a fallen, hollowed out log similar to the one that served as the entrance for the kokiri forest.

Zelda ducked into the entrance and walked through with Link in tow. The came into a clearing with three other fallen logs identical to the one they came from leading out in the other three directions.

"If it's all like this I understand where it got its name from." Link commented.

"I guess if doesn't make much of a difference which one we try as long as we remember where we came from." Zelda noted.

"I guess so." Link agreed

"Well then let's try this one." Zelda said picking the one to the left.

They did get lost multiple times but they didn't really care, they were more interested in their conversation than where they were going. After a while they grew tired of the lost woods so they changed to walking around the Kokiri village. Eventually their conversation came around to the events of the day before.

"You were very impressive." Link was saying with a light chuckle.

"I was also scared out of my wits but thank you." Zelda replied shaking her head and causing a piece of hair to fall in front of her eyes.

"And though you were amazing you have no idea how worried I was." Link said pushing the strand of hair back out of her face.

"I think I have a pretty good idea actually," Zelda chuckled. "I have been on the other side you know."

"Yeah but we weren't-" Link caught himself, berating his mouth for saying things before he could think it through.

"We weren't what?" Zelda asked leaning closer.

Link looked away embarrassed. "Nothing, never mind." He started walking again.

Zelda huffed slightly and jogged to catch up to him. "So what will you do when we get back to Hyrule?" She asked changing the subject.

Link rubbed the back of his neck. "Whatever Ashei and Auru are doing I guess." He paused. "Although, I doubt Ashei will be around much now that I think about it, and with both her and Shad gone I don't know what exactly Auru and I will do."

Zelda looked to the side. "Actually I was talking with Auru earlier and I offered him a job as one of my royal advisors."

"You did?"

"Yeah I miss having him as a general and he's got an excellent eye for strategy which would be really useful to have on my team of advisors. He said he would think about it and he would give me his answer later." She said sheepishly

Link was silent for a minute looking straight ahead but not seeing anything, a slight frown appearing as he thought over this new information.

"Huh," he said. "I guess I'll be needing to find a new job then."

They were silent for a couple seconds more.

"You could come back to the castle with me." Zelda suggested a bit hesitant, unsure of what reaction she would get.

Link smirked and looked at her. "Are you on a recruitment mission right now or something?" He teased

"No! I'm serious! I mean I know you've already said you don't want to be in charge or training my army but maybe you could be my personal guard- or something else I don't know." Zelda said flustered

Link smiled. "I think you've proved without a shadow of a doubt that you don't need a personal guard. You're more than capable of taking care of yourself."

"Maybe so, but I still wouldn't mind the company." She said shifting closer to him again.

Link made a show of thinking it over.

"Do I have to wear the guard uniform?" He asked.

"Do you want to?" Zelda asked

"No." Link deadpanned, to which Zelda laughed.

"Then no, you don't have to wear the uniform, but you do have to wear something more fancy for special occasions."

"This isn't fancy enough?" Link asked gesturing to his green tunic.

Zelda laughed again. "I think it's perfect, but I doubt my advisors would agree."

"Auru didn't seem to mind." He pointed out.

"Auru's not an advisor yet." She reminded him.

"Hmmm, alright fine, fancy stuff for special occasions I think I can make that work." Link said

"So that's a yes then?" Zelda asked with a wide hopeful smile.

"I think I could get used to the idea, yes." he replied matching her smile.

"Good! I look forward to working with you then." Zelda said holding her hand out to shake his.

Link chuckled and chose to kiss her hand instead. "I look forward to it as well princess."

Zelda turned red but held onto his hand when he went to pull away. Link looked down at their intertwined hands but didn't comment choosing instead to just smile and keep walking.

"They're so cute." Ashei commented, she was sitting on Hugh's lap in front of Fado's house.

Hugh set his chin on her head and followed her line of sight to Link and Zelda.

"Yep, they are." He paused. "We're cuter though." He added

"Well obviously." Ashei agreed. "But still."

They watched them for a little while longer.

"To be honest I thought they would be closer by now." Hugh said

"Same, Zelda better make a move because Link is way too proper to do anything first." she observed

"Hmmm." Hugh hummed in agreement. "Can we get involved yet?"

"As long as Auru doesn't figure out what we're up to we probably can." Ashei smirked

"Sweet, what's the plan of attack?"

"Well we need to convince at least one of them to make the first move."

"So I get Link you get Zelda?" Hugh grinned.

"That would make the most sense yes." Ashei teased.

"Having fun you too?" Zelda asked innocently.

Both Ashei and Hugh's heads snapped up in surprise.

"Always princess, you should know that by now." Ashei returned recovering first.

"Of course how could I forget?" Zelda smirked. "Are you two ready to go?"

"We are currently sitting on our luggage so that would be a yes." Hugh said gesturing to the equipment on the ground

"That's good, is Auru around?"

"Talking to the tree I think, should be back soon." Ashei said.

"Excellent, then I think it's time we head home." Zelda said with a satisfied smile.

Hugh shimmied out from under Ashei and jumped to his feet.

"Sounds like a plan to me, I've been away for far too long - I hope everyone's doing ok." He said with a thoughtful look.

"Well I'm sure they'll be better once you're back." Ashei said standing up as well.

"I can't wait to properly introduce you as well." Hugh said fondly draping an arm over Ashei's shoulder.

"Well I haven't completely finished packing so I'm going to go do that now, maybe one of you could tell the Kokiri we're leaving." Zelda said

"Will do." Ashei saluted

The Kokiri had been sad to see them go but were kind enough to let them leave without a big hullabaloo. And before long the group was heading southwest towards Hugh's village. Ashei not-to-subtly moved her horse over next to Zelda, leaving Hugh and Link riding behind them. Auru had taken the lead as usual and had decided to not take much notice of what was happening behind him making Ashei and Hugh's jobs much easier.

"So," Ashei started with a forced air of casualty. "How are things going with you princess?"

"Fine." Zelda answered glancing at her suspiciously. "How are you?"

"Oh you know - same as usual." Ashei answered evasively

Zelda squinted at her. "So what do you actually want to ask me?"

Ashei opened her mouth to deny wanting to do anything more than make conversation but thought better of it.

"What's the deal with you and Link?" Ashei asked frustratedly instead. "What are you waiting for?!"

Zelda raised her eyebrows slightly and just stared at her for a while. "And this is important why?"

"Because it's bugging me! You guys clearly like each other but neither of you are doing anything!" Ashei managed to exclaim in such a way that it still didn't draw the attention of the others in the group.

"It's up to Link what happens next." Zelda said calmly turning her attention back to the road.

"So what are you going to do?" Hugh asked Link.

"Do?" Link asked confused.

"Yeah what's your plan?" Hugh pressed

"Plan?" Link asked again.

"With Zelda you idiot." Hugh retorted with a huff.

"Oh, well now that I know what your talking about -" Link replied. "I'm still not going to tell you."

"You're killing me man, what's holding you back?" Hugh groaned

Link smirked but didn't respond.

"Are you back to worrying about her being a princess? Because I told you that's not a problem." Hugh asked

"No I know." Link said calmly.

"Then what? Are you worried she doesn't like you?" Hugh asked confused.

"No I know she likes me and she would say yes if I asked." Link responded.

"Wha-? Then what are you waiting for?!" Hugh demanded.

"It's not the right time." Link answered simply.

"It's not the right time." Hugh repeated slowly. "Well what other time are you going to have?! We'll all be home in a couple days and I doubt she'll have much time to chat in between her princess jobs."

"He's coming back to the castle with you?!" Ashei replied shocked. "When did this happen?"

"I asked if he was interested in the position and he said yes." Zelda explained.

"Oh." Ashei said quietly. "Well I mean I guess it's a start." She said reluctantly

"Glad I could satisfy you." Zelda chuckled

"But seriously why are you going to all this trouble? Just ask him to court you." Ashei said

Zelda sighed long-sufferingly. "You realize that if what you are suggesting comes to be Link could become king of Hyrule right? It wouldn't be a very good trust builder if he couldn't even ask the princess if she was interested in him."

Ashei had no reply to this.

"I care very deeply for Link and should he be willing, I want him as king but I also want him to be respected as such. Therefore what happens next is up to him."

"Personal guard?" Hugh questioned. "Why would Zelda need a personal guard?"

"That's what I said." Link shrugged. "But it kills two birds with one stone. I get to spend time with Zelda and I have something to do when I get home."

"You tired of the resistance already? I thought you just joined." Hugh joked.

"The resistance is kinda disappearing, there wouldn't be much point if it was only me." Link pointed out.

"It would be just you, I mean sure shad's gone but Auru-"

"Is going to work at the castle as an advisor." Link broke in.

"Oh- well then it would just be you and Ashei, yeah I guess that's pretty small." Hugh admitted.

"I thought Ashei was staying with you?" Link said

Hugh stared at him for a couple seconds.

"Dude I hadn't even thought of that!" He said suddenly. "Wait did she say something? Because we haven't even talked about this- I was so focused on getting home I hadn't even considered what was going to happen after!" He looked mildly panicked. "If she goes back to Hyrule she might forget about me! And I wouldn't be able to visit very often and-"

"Hugh calm down!" Link broke in again. "Ashei's not going to forget about you, I'm sure you guys will work it out - sorry that I assumed."

"No, no it's fine I seriously just hadn't thought about it." Hugh remarked clearly already thinking about the different options.

"Okay well you work on that I'm going to go talk with Auru about where we're going to pitch camp."

They reached Hugh's village mid-morning the next day. And were immediately mobbed by all the villagers rushing to welcome Hugh home.

They thanked them all profusely for getting rid of the dragon and had insisted on refilling their food and water with whatever was lacking.

Hugh quickly began asking what the progress was with rebuilding and was very pleased with the results. Since they had been away the village had built enough huts and tents to move out of the ruins and above ground again. A good majority of the debris had been disposed of or used in the rebuilding work, and they had a number of true houses and sheds being built.

"We have a hut that's currently vacant since the family that was in it moved to a house. We're happy to move your items into it if you want." One of the villagers said to Hugh.

"That would be perfect thank you." Hugh said cheerfully. "And I'll give you a hand with that."

Ashei also volunteered to help move his stuff while the others left to water the horses.

Since Hugh hadn't brought much with him it didn't take long for him to settle into the hut they had specified.

"I can't believe how much progress they've made in such a short amount of time." Ashei said impressed as she set down a bag.

"Well it's easy to see that they're really hard workers." Hugh said proudly.

A beat of silence passed.

"So..." Hugh started then pulled back because he wasn't sure what to say.

"Yes?" Ashei asked

"Um... do- do you like it here?" Hugh asked lamely then internally facepalmed at the stupid question.

Ashei looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Is there a secondary question behind that question Hugh?" She prodded as she tried not to look too amused.

Hugh rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Yeah, I mean kinda, but I just-" he stopped and gathered himself. "Do you want to stay here?" He burst out.

Ashei smirked.

Hugh continued. "With me I mean, like continually, with your own house to start- or for however long you want- or don't want or I-" Hugh sighed. "I'm going to stop talking now."

Ashei couldn't help but laugh this time. "Oh you loveable idiot." She said. "I've been waiting for you to ask that for a while now. My stuff is being delivered next week, Telma took care of that for me. So I'm here whether you want me or not." She said.

Hugh grinned bigger and bigger as he took in this news and then let out a whoop and captured her in a hug.

"I love how you're always so ahead of me when it comes to this stuff." He said happily.

"Yeah well get used to it since I doubt that's going to change anytime soon." She said returning the hug.

Hugh quickly spread the news that Ashei was staying to the rest of the village and with extreme pride introduced her to everyone officially. The village members all doted on her and were more than happy to welcome her to the family.

Link, Zelda and Auru weren't very surprised by the announcement and wished them well, promising to visit soon before heading off.

Arriving back in Hyrule went as you would expect. Telma welcomed them home and badgered them with questions on how it went. Zelda made arrangements for Link and Auru to come to the castle a week later after she had sorted everything out. Link returned to Ordon to collect the last of his things and leave his house to Rustl to take care of or sell as he saw fit. And as the week concluded both Auru and Link each found themselves in possession of a well-sized apartment within close quarters of each other and the princess. As rumors would have it the current council was not pleased with the new arrangements but wisely kept their mouth shut and turned their attention to the new alliance with Norachre.

Link and Auru quickly settled into their new roles and Link found himself with a surprising amount of opportunities to speak with Zelda to the enjoyment of both parties.

Ashei and Hugh made great progress on the village. By the time Ceil and Krem came for a visit - Thane was otherwise occupied - they were only missing a couple houses and were well launched with preparing the field for planting in the spring.

Zelda sent out invitations for the celebration of Arnold's defeat 2 months later only to receive a letter back from Ashei and Hugh informing them their recent engagement. They asked if they could semi-hijack the party as their wedding reception, since 'everyone was going to be there anyway' and 'Zelda was better at planning that sort of thing'. Link and Zelda laughed at the prospect but both concluded it was a very Ashei and Hugh thing to do. They responded with their congratulations and asking for more specifics about the party details so everything would be to their liking.

Shad had been alternating between staying at the Gerudo fortress and using Fyer's cannon to visit the Occoa city so he planned his visit to be in Hyrule for the wedding/party. Shylock and Kaori both wrote back that they were looking forward to it and asked if there was anything they could do to help. Krem responded on his and Thane's behalf saying that they would definitely be there while Ceil sent his own letter to Hugh accepting the invitation to be his best man. The next few weeks were a flurry of activity preparing everything.

The wedding was beautifully simple and resulted in tears both from Hugh and Ceil though Ceil denied it with every fiber of his being. The reception after was beyond all expectations and was thoroughly by all.

It wasn't long after that Shylock announced his upcoming marriage to Zera to the great surprise of some and to no surprise of others and informed them that they too were going to have their wedding in Hyrule. He claimed the reason was that Zera had mentioned once a long time ago she wouldn't mind seeing snow and gosh darn it, Shylock was going to make sure his love had her wish come true! Zera had mentioned later that she didn't really care one way or another but she appreciated the thought.

As such there wasn't much a break before Zelda, Link and Auru we're back in planning mode. Shylock's wedding and reception were to be much more extravagant then Ashei and Hugh's and required a lot more preparation. Thankfully they had more warning this time and as such we're still able to get everything done in time. Everything worked out perfectly, even the weather cooperated by providing a continuous snowfall of fat fluffy flakes. Shylock was grinning ear to ear the whole time and Zera looked stunning in her desert style wedding dress. The reception took place in the evening in one of the castle's largest ballrooms to accommodate all the guests.

—

"May I just say once again that I'm glad we had a simpler wedding?" Hugh said sitting down next to his wife after having navigated through the crazy crowd to bring them each a drink.

"I still don't think our wedding could be counted as simple since the ruler of our kingdom arranged it." Ashei retorted receiving her drink.

"No beer Ashei?" Shad teased. "Married life has changed you."

"Ugh don't remind me." Ashei said rubbing her stomach with a pointed look at Hugh.

"Anything you'd like to tell us?" Auru asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hugh blushed. "We're expecting." He said his voice shining with pride. "Sometime in the spring."

"Congratulations!" Shad and Auru both said.

"Called it!" Krem exclaimed jumping into the conversation. "And you didn't believe me." He quipped at Thane.

"Oh come on, Ceil must have told you - even you couldn't have just figured that out." Thane objected.

"It insults me how little you trust my abilities." Krem cried drawing back in mock shock.

"Good." Thane responded as he took a sip from his glass.

"Have you got some names picked out?" Auru asked.

"We've got a few options but nothing's set yet." Hugh replied

The group discussed possible names for a while, most of which Hugh and Ashei later agree would not be included on their list.

Zelda stood a little way over in a group of Gerudo who were congratulating Zera. Each taking their turn to praise her dress and to remark on how well Zelda had done in preparing everything.

"We especially appreciate that you made allowances for us to be armed," one woman commented. "I understand it made your troops uneasy but it wouldn't be right to have a ceremony without proper protection."

"I'm simply glad there was no occasion to use them." Zelda said lightly. "I'm sure the bride and groom wouldn't have appreciated such an interruption."

"Perhaps not but it certainly would have made for a good story." Another woman put in.

"Well I'm just happy that it's all said and done, our king was getting downright giddy the last few weeks." An older woman huffed. "I wasn't sure how much more of his gushing I could take."

"Aww I thought it was cute!" A different one objected. "Clearly he really cares for his bride."

Zera chuckled. "I suppose I should count that as a blessing but I agree, I look forward to when he returns to his normal self."

"So how do you feel about your new title of queen?" Zelda asked changing the subject.

"I decided not to take that title," Zera replied. "I have little interest in ruling myself so I simply will be the king's wife. Besides perhaps my husband's next wife will be more inclined for the position."

Zelda almost choked on her drink. "Next wife?!"

The rest of the Gerudo looked at her surprised.

"In our culture our kings often have multiple wives." Zera explained.

It was at this moment that Shylock happened to be walking by and overheard this statement.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa back up." He said pushing himself into the conversation - literally. "Though that may be true, let me just make things clear - that will NOT be the case with this king." He declared adamantly. "I couldn't handle having multiple wives! One is plenty! Love you honey." He quickly added throwing a wide grin at Zera. "So don't go thinking anything different. You are my one and only wife got it?" He said poking Zera in the forehead.

"If that's what you want." Zera shrugged but clearly was holding back a blush of happiness.

"It is!" Shylock said vehemently. "And don't you forget it!" He added before giving her a quick kiss and extracting himself from the group. "As you were!" He called as he walked away.

There was a beat of silence before Zera said. "I'm still not being queen." She grinned.

This made the rest of the group laugh and conversation resumed as before.

Shylock hummed happily to himself as he strode over to a group that included Link, Kaori, and Renjiro.

Shylock pulled Link into a one-armed hug.

"Hey Triforce buddy!" He greeted.

"Hi Shylock," Link responded with a smile.

"So how's castle life treating you? I hear you keep getting stuck with wedding planning." He teased

"Yeah I wonder who's fault that is." Link returned.

"I know not but whoever it may be I shall vanquish them for you!" Shylock said dramatically waving around an invisible sword. "But anyway it's not like you can complain too much you've only got one more to go."

"Oh? Did shad decided to propose without telling me?" Link inquired with a knowing smile.

"No, not yet but even so he would most likely be married at the fortress so that one's on me, thanks for reminding me." Shylock grumbled clearly not looking forward to the idea of work.

"Really then who could it be? Auru doesn't seem like he's looking to get married but I could be wrong." Link wondered pretending to be confused.

"No Link not Auru." Shylock rolled his eyes. "I'm talking about you and Zelda." He explained in unnecessary exasperation

"I never would have guess." Link joked.

"Ah well, I suppose it's inevitable so I needn't worry." Shylock continued. "Anyway how have things been with you Kaori? Heard the treaty was established with Hyrule."

"Yes we're all very pleased with the arrangements, and now that we've begun trading with Ceil our profit margins have been increasing and our crime is decreasing so no complaints from me." Kaori replied with a happy smile.

"Ah if only my kingdom was doing as well." Shylock lamented dramatically

"I haven't heard of any problems?" Kaori said confused.

"Oh that's because there aren't any I just like saying that to get reactions from people." Shylock grinned.

Link shook his head and chuckled. "Well if you're going to be like that." he said "I'm going to go get some fresh air."

"Aww you're no fun!" Shylock called after him.

Link smirked and shrugged but continued walking. He made his way to one of the doors leading out to the balcony area. The night was cool but not freezing and the sky was filled with fat fluffy snowflakes that fell slowly to the ground. Link's ears twitched as he heard the door open again behind him. Zelda walked out and came to join him at the railing of the balcony.

"Had a little too much socializing?" She asked with a small smile.

Link smiled back. "Nah just wanted to escape Shylock for a while." He replied.

"What a coincidence so was I, he must have come to talk to me after you left." Zelda said.

Link internally rolled his eyes, he doubted very much that Shylock bothering both of them at the same time was a coincidence but he let it slide this time since he was happy for her company.

"So are you happy with how the wedding turned out?" He asked. "Everyone seems to be having a good time."

"Yes, I think it all worked out just fine, I'm sure I couldn't have done it without your help." Zelda said shifting to look at him better.

"Well I'm always happy to offer you my assistance." Link said bowing teasingly.

Zelda laughed which then turned to a shiver. Link noticed that though her dress had long sleeves the material was quite thin for the weather.

"I can get your coat if you want?" Link offered

"No, no I'll be fine." Zelda replied then after a pause said. "you just may have to stand a bit closer."

Link smiled slightly and pulled the princess against him while wrapping his arms around the small of her back.

"Better?" He asked

Zelda blushed. "Much."

A silent moment passed.

"You know Zelda I've been thinking." Link spoke again gazing off just above her head.

"Oh?" She murmured in return.

"About when we first met." He continued while brushing a few snowflakes out of her hair. "Growing up I always heard stories about the princess, how she was so beautiful and kind. But it wasn't until I met you that I realized how wrong they all were."

Zelda frowned slightly before she could stop herself and glance up at him waiting for an explanation.

"You aren't beautiful, you're stunning. You aren't kind, you're selfless and humble in a such a way I'd never seen before. But over time I've come to learn that you're so much more than that. Every day I've spent with you I've been able to learn a little bit more about you. The parts you put on display for the world to see, the flaws you feel should be hidden, the quirks you try to control but that pop out when you least expect them. Every day it's something new, and every day I find myself falling deeper in love with you." Link said his gaze not wavering from her face.

Zelda bit her lip trying not to let the tears in her eyes fall.

"I know I'm not really the best suited to be in politics but if you're willing to help me learn I want to do everything in my power to be with you every day for the rest of our lives…. Zelda will you marry me?" Link finished kneeling with her hand in his.

Zelda laughed letting the tears flow down her cheeks. "Yes! Of course yes!" She said throwing herself into his arms making them both fall to the snow-covered ground. They both lay there laughing and hugging until Link finally pushed himself up so they were sitting up.

Zelda rubbed her eyes with a giant smile. "You know I think you may have missed a few steps." She teased through her laughter.

"Oh you mean the courtship part?" Link smirked. "Yeah we'll do that first but I wanted you to know that I'm here to stay, plus since we're technically engaged I can do this." He grinned and slipped and hand behind her head, pulling her into a gentle kiss. Zelda happily returned it.


	21. EPILOGUE

*10 years later*

"Link did you speak with Auru?" Zelda called to her husband from the closet of their room.

"Yes, he's meeting us downstairs after he talks with Kirk about the settlement arrangements." Link responses as he closed the lid to his luggage.

"Oh that's right he's going to need a signature for that, I completely forgot." She said returning and dumping a few outfits on the couch.

"I thought you might, so I brought the papers with me when I came from the meeting." Link smiled handing her the small stack of papers.

"You are a lifesaver thank you!" She said taking them and planting a quick kiss on his cheek before rushing over to the night table to find a pen.

"Do you want these added to the luggage?" Link asked gesturing to the clothes on the couch.

"Yeah but not the gray one - I'm going to wear that." She responded without looking up from the papers.

Link nodded and set it aside, then set to folding the rest. There was a light knock on the door.

"Come in." They called at the same time.

An attendant named Jiro stepped in then was quickly brushed passed by two blond children.

"Your Majesties." He said bowing. "I came to see if you need any assistance with taking luggage down to the carriage."

"Um those two bags are ready to go, we should be able to handle these three." Link responded taking a look around the room. "Zev and Liana's things are already taken care of?" He asked glancing at the twins who were currently on the bed curiously looking over Zelda's shoulder.

"Yes your majesty, their luggage is downstairs being loaded as we speak." Jiro replied.

"Wonderful - if you could take those bags we should be down shortly." Link said .

The attendant nodded but didn't move.

"Is there something else?" Link asked.

"I'm simply concerned your majesty, are you positive you don't want a few soldiers to accompany you?" He inquired

"Jiro we've been over this - we don't need protection." Zelda called from the desk.

"It would only be a couple." He objected weakly.

"Trained warrior, Triforce of wisdom." She said pointing to herself. "Hero of Twilight, defender of Hyrule, Triforce of courage." She continued pointing towards Link. "Accompanied by Auru, a former general I think we'll be ok." She said.

"But thank you for your concern." Link added with a grin.

"Of course your majesties." Jiro bowed and quickly took the luggage with him downstairs.

Zev giggled. "Jiro is funny." He said

"Super serious though." Liana added.

"I'm sure he means well." Zelda sighed as she collected the papers together.

"Do you want us to take that to Kirk?" Liana asked pointing to the papers.

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "You know where he is?"

"Yup we saw him on the way here." Zev nodded.

"Ok be really careful with them." She said handing the stack to them.

"We will." Zev said as they ran out the door.

"Alright I'm going to get changed then I think we should be ready to go." Zelda said getting up.

"Sounds good." Link replied.

—

Liana and Zev went down to the stables after delivering the settlement paper to Kirk. Zev was the first to spot Auru who was standing talking to one of the servants.

"Grandpa Auru!" He called getting his attention. "Are you ready to go?"

Auru grinned and ruffled his hair. "I've been ready for hours! Hopefully your parents will be ready soon or Ashei might have her baby before we get there." Auru teased.

"I hope not! I want to see!" Liana said

"I don't." Zev said sticking out his tongue.

Auru laughed. "Well either way it looks like your mom and dad finally decided to get their butts in gear." He said gesturing to the entrance.

Link chuckled. "I don't remember traveling being this complicated before."

"Well it's always easier when there's only one person." Auru admitted.

"Everything go ok with delivering the papers?" Zelda asked.

"Yep Kirk said he would send a letter if anything else came up but it should be fine." Zev recited

"Glad to hear it - so shall we be on our way?"

—

"Looks like they've arrived." Ceil mumbled as he watched the villagers crowd to the main road to welcome the royal family.

"Took them long enough." Aria said as she looked out the window as well.

"Well they are royalty. They might have been a little busy." Hugh put in as he walked past.

"And that's supposed to be an excuse?" Ashei grinned looking over from her seat.

"Can we go see them?" Aria asked, her dark brown hair falling over her face as she spun around.

"Yeah sure. Just remember what we talked about - try not to tease Zev and Liana too much." Hugh warned.

"Ugh you're no fun." Aria whined but was smiling. "Come on uncle Ceil- the whole village will be there if we don't get going."

Zelda seemed to be in her element, greeting and chatting with all the excited villagers. Though they had all met many times they always got great enjoyment in fussing over them. Link made the effort to be friendly but still wasn't as comfortable being the center of attention. Zev and Liana took after their father in this way and were very happy when Aria burst through and started to drag them towards their house.

"Come on!" She insisted as she pulled on the twins arms. "Mom and dad said you'll be bunking with me this time."

Ceil let them be and decided to save Link instead.

"You have a good trip?" He asked as he grabbed some of their luggage and began making a path through the crowd for them.

"A bit slow going but still good." Link answered, grateful to be talking with just one person. "How are Hugh and Ashei?"

"Same as usual." Ceil shrugged. "You'll be in your usual house while the kids are with Aria." He said gesturing to the quaint guest house a few doors down from Ashei and Hugh's house. "And Auru you're going to be bunking with Shad, Ren and Levi when they arrive if that's ok." He called to the older man.

"Fine by me." Auru responded.

"Have Shylock and Zera arrived?" Zelda asked carefully removing a flower crown from her head that had been given to her.

"No, but Thane send a message that he was traveling with both them and Shad and Ren. They should be here in the next couple of days." Ceil responded.

They dropped off the luggage and went to Hugh and Ashei's house. Liana and Zev we're sitting either side of Krem whispering in his ears.

"No! Really?!" Krem said in excited shock. "Tell me more!"

Liana giggles and whispered more. Zev has his hands covering his mouth to stop from laughing. "Oh don't forget about what happened after!" He added excited.

Liana nodded and continued whispering.

"Oh my gosh they're never going to stop at this rate!" Aria groaned.

"Well as for me I'm just happy Krem is sitting still for a while." Ashei replied rolling her eyes. "I still don't see why he couldn't have stayed with Thane."

"Yeah you try convincing him of that." Ceil laughed.

"Ashei how are you feeling?" Zelda asked coming to her side.

"I feel 9 months pregnant." She replied. "Still can't compete with you - I don't know how you managed to have twins."

"Be grateful you're not like Zera, I can't imagine having triplets." Zelda shook her head.

"Oh and little monsters they are too." Ashei groaned. "I'm almost happy they aren't going to be here for another couple days."

"Maybe they've gotten better?" Zelda said hopefully.

"Zelda they're five and their dad is Shylock I wouldn't hold out too much hope." Ashei chuckled

"Well we'll just have to keep close to Zera at least they behave around her." Zelda sighed with a smile.

Ashei nodded.

"Dinner is ready!" Hugh called from the kitchen.

—-

Three days later Hugh and Link were sitting talking when the door to the house slammed open and a very haggard Shylock collapsed on the ground with three little girls on top of him laughing loudly. Zera followed and simply stepped over the pile of them to drop some luggage off.

"Hey guys." Hugh said giving a small wave.

Zera nodded a greeting and Shylock lifted his head to look up at them.

"Help." He whimpered.

"Still a drama queen I see." Link chuckled.

Shylock let his face fall back to the floor but lifted a finger. "Drama king." Came the muffled correction.

Link laughed. "Aiko, Satomi, Zentra," he called to get the triplets attention. They all perked and turned to him with wide grins. "Zev and Liana are playing outside with Aria do you want to go see them?"

This was met by excited cheers and them trampling their father to follow Link out the back door.

Shylock let out a low groan. Another Gerudo popped her head in the doorway and saw Shylock laying on the ground.

"Do you need help your highness?" She asked peering down at him.

"He's fine Ren." Zera responded, she had made herself comfortable in one of the chairs in the living room.

"You guys have no respect for me." Shylock complained.

Hugh laughed. "It's kinda hard to when you're laying face first on the ground." He said before offering a hand and lifting the king up. "So do I dare ask how the trip went?"

"Not if you value your life." Thane growled as he stomped past them towards Ceil's room. His hair was a crazy mishmash of braids and flowers and he had more than one cut on this face.

"Ren, honey could you give me a hand with this?" Shad grunted as he tried to pull a trunk in the house.

"Oh sorry! I forgot!" She said and hurried over picking up the trunk with ease.

Shad smiled gratefully and readjusted his glasses. He looked back outside.

"Do you need help Levi?" He called.

"No I'm ok thank you." Levi replied as he struggled to carry his small bag. His neatly combed blond hair was slightly mused from the effort but he smiled proudly when he managed to make it into the house.

"Hello Mr. Hugh!" He said bowing. "Thank you for letting us stay at your home."

"Still a perfect gentleman I see." Ashei said coming into the room with Zelda following behind her.

"Ah! Mrs. Ashei! Thank you! And congratulations on your new baby!" He said quickly bowing to her as well.

Ashei came over and ruffled his hair. "You're way too cute." She said. "Maybe we should adopt like Shad and Ren." She winked at Hugh.

"Sounds like a plan. But let's focus on this one first." Hugh said good-naturedly pointing to her stomach.

Auru appeared in the doorway a few seconds later. "I thought so. Only you guys could make so much noise." He grinned.

"Grampa Auru!" Levi cried running to him.

Auru lifted him up. "Look at you! You're getting big! How old are you now?"

"I'm 4 and 2 months!" Levi replied

"Already?! Wow you're going to be a full-grown adult next time I see you!" Auru praised

Ceil came in from the back door his head down looking at a letter "Hey Hugh, the mailman ca-" he looked up and blinked. "Oh people are here."

They all waved and said hi.

He waved back and continued "Sorry to interrupt but Kaori sent some stuff for you two." Ceil said handing the letter to Hugh.

"Oh that's nice of him." Hugh said taking the letter.

"Yeah there's more than just a letter," Ceil smirked. "Come on in guys." He called and all the kids, minus Levi, traipsed in carrying little gifts or flowers.

The parents all made a point of marveling over the gifts or how cute the kids looked.

"Kaori said he's sorry he couldn't be there in person but he hoped these gifts would be useful to us." Hugh read from the letter holding it so Ashei could read it as well.

"He's always been so generous." Zelda smiled.

Link and Krem came into the house as well.

"So..." Ashei said calming drawing the attention. "I don't mean to blame you guys but I think having this much activity has contributed."

They looked at her confused.

"My water just broke." She explained with a wry smile.

"Welp that's my cue." Shylock said turning on his heels and heading out the door.

"Alright people who will be helpful stay. The rest of you - out." Hugh said taking charge and ushering the majority of the group out of the house after Shylock.

"Krem go get Thane from our room and bring him to Auru's house. Aria you're with me." Ceil said

"Girls follow your father make sure he doesn't pass out." Zera instructed as she helped Ashei upstairs.

"Zev, Liana come with me this way it's too crowded over there." Link said motioning to the back door.

"Aww dad can't I help?" Liana asked.

Link looked over at Zelda who was collecting towels.

"She can stay if she wants" She said

Zev stuck out his tongue. "Bleh I'm not. Come on Levi!" He said walking past this father outside.

"Wait for me Zev!" Levi called following him.

So as everything turned out, Hugh, Zelda, Liana, Ren, and Zera stayed to help Ashei while the rest went to the other guest houses to wait out the rest of the afternoon and much of the evening.

Finally after most of the kids had fallen asleep waiting Hugh came out to the houses.

"It's a boy." He announced looking very tired but was smiling ear to ear.

"Is he cute? Who does he look like?" Aria asked as she ran up to give him a hug.

Hugh chuckled. "You can decide that for yourself in a couple of minutes." He said hugging her back.

"Perhaps it would be best if we went in in groups so as not to overwhelm Ashei." Auru suggested.

"That would be good, she's pretty tired but we want you all to meet him." Hugh responded with a nod. "Maybe if Aria, you and Ceil come first?"

The three agreed and followed him back to the house. Zelda was downstairs folding blankets. Liana has passed out on the couch next to her clearly exhausted from the excitement.

"Zera is still with her, Ren went to get something to eat." Zelda told them.

"Thanks." Hugh nodded gratefully.

Aria cautiously pushed the door open to her parent's room. Ashei was propped up with a bunch of pillows with her eyes closed. She opened them and smiled tiredly.

"Hi mom." Aria said going over to the bedside.

"Hey." She murmured.

"Have you decided on a name?" Ceil asked Hugh quietly.

Hugh looked at Auru and Aria who were cooing at the baby.

"We were thinking of calling him Auru actually." He said

Auru looked up surprised. He glanced between Ashei and Hugh who were both smiling at him.

"If that's ok with you of course." Ashei said.

Auru was speechless for a moment just looking at them and then back to the baby in his arms.

"I would be honored." He said finally, his eyes watery.

"I like it!" Aria said adding her bit.

Ceil smirked. "Me too." He agreed.

Auru shook his head happily and looked down again. "Welcome to the family little Auru." He said.


End file.
